Introducing "Leon the Leafy Dragonfish"

"Leon the Leafy dragonfish", original available now, email me if interested: swartzkopf@yahoo.com or buy a print here from Fine Art America: http://fineartamerica.com/featured/leon-the-leafy-dragonfish-erika-swartzkopf.html?newartwork=true

My Joe's 30th Punahou School Reunion

My Joe went to the same high school as Barack Obama, but he grad two years after him (1981) and this past weekend was Joe's 30th reunion. It was fabulous, starting at Punahou school with the alumnae Luau, and then classmate, Bitsey Kelley's house on Diamond Head the next day for a picnic and swim party at her gorgeous house right on the water. Come with me on this journey and check it out:

 Rainbow over Punahou school as soon as we got there!

 Big tents set up on the field, the Luau has begun~

Ono hawaiian food: lomi salmon, poi, chicken long-rice, squid luau, sweet potatos and haupia for dessert, so yummy!

Class of 1981 is lookin' good!

The palaka shirt and dress-clad hula dancers wowed everyone~

The next day at Bitsey Kelley's (Joe's classmate) Diamond Head house, waterfront on 'Mansion Row', wow, what a great place to hang out~

The picnic

Joe decided to take a dip in the ocean and got a picture of the big wave that got me wet!

The whole gang on the front lawn

Erika hanging out on the fabulous lanai~

 

Kamaaina living room

Such big windows, the whole house is so open and has lots of lava-rock detail~

Love the little touches in this awesome beach house, what a great shelf to display shells!

Panoramic view of the kids' water-balloon toss from the 2nd floor lanai ~ what a great view!

The view down 'Mansion Lane' - you can see Doris Duke, the late, tobacco heiress' house at the end. Jim Nabors also lives in this neighborhood

Joe and da boys - looking good, Everyone! No way are you old yet~

My favorite shot of us~

Joe in da water, chillin' out~

Gorgeous, Old Hawaii-style, Kamaina house ~ nice candles in the fireplace (not many houses in Hawaii have fireplaces)

Of course we got out the guitar and harmonica and jammed on some tunes for the crowd!

Joe showed off a little, doing his beer-bottle-as-a-slide trick~

Joe's high school buddy borrowed his other guitar and jammed with us~

A perfect ending to a great reunion!  I guess at the next one in five years, Joe will be a physical therapy assistant and I will be a self-supporting artist, looking forward to it, big changes are coming for us and we're READY!~

Diamond Head is still Green!

We're having such wonderful breezy, easy, rainy weather here in Hawaii that the world here is VERY green (we like rain because usually it's SO very sunny all the time). Usually by June, Diamond Head is brown, brown, brown so it's been a real gift to see such greenness so late!  Here are some photos from my daily walk yesterday around Diamond Head and Kapiolani Park, enjoy!~

 Diamond Head (above)

Cool Banyan Trees!

 Kapiolani Park Fountain

Hula Girl Statue ~ I think I will do a hula girl painting SOON!

Shower Trees 

Three Abstracts for Wednesday

It's Wednesday, we're half-way through the week (hooray!) and I thought I'd post three of my favorite, original abstracts (originals are currently available for sale, contact me here: swartzkopf@yahoo.com if interested). This weekend, I'm going to my hubby's 30th Punahou School high school reunion in Hawaii on the island of Oahu, which will be awesome!  He went to the same high school as Barack Obama, but graduated two years after the Prez did. Two days of festivities planned and we will partake in a Luau on campus, after party and picnic in a big, private mansion on Diamond Head the next day. Lots of the people he graduated with are current movers and shakers in Hawaii, so I am busily making extra business art cards to hand out (I make my own business cards), as well as finishing up my latest painting, stay tuned for details!

"The Trip Factory" - original, 18" x 24" watercolor and water-based acrylic on paper:

"The Groove" - 11" x 15" watercolor and water-based acrylic on paper

 "Tree of Life" - 18" x 24" watercolor on paper



54 of my watercolor paintings currently available now, check out the gallery: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150203462961922.315132.102053661921

Email me if interested: swartzkopf@yahoo.com

Hope everyone had a great weekend! I went to the 1st Friday gallery walk with girlfriends (gotta LOVE a girls' night out!), so much music and art and fun, and a fabulous  wedding on the water at an ocean-front house on Sat. I love Hawaii, all the guests at the wedding got leis ~ Hope your week is simply fabulous!

Below:  "Bleeding Heart Lotus", original available now~

“Don’t think about making art. Just get it done!  Let everyone else decide whether it’s good or bad, whether they love it or hate it.  While they are deciding, make even more art.” - Andy Warhol

"Golden Waikiki Sunset" ~ original available, prints available here: http://fineartamerica.com/featured/1-golden-waikiki-sunset-erika-swartzkopf.html?newartwork=true

Back to the sea creature paintings I go!  After a hiatus, I am starting another psychedelic sea creatures series (it being summertime: "...and the living IS easy!") and the 1st one will be a Leafy Dragonfish, a very strange-but-cool-looking creature. I had originally wanted to do this last year but just didn't have the inspiration for it at the time but now I do, so stay tuned~