Vaipahi Painting

Ragged coconut tree leaning over Pacific blue Where the big grouper finds it's prey Looking alone over the shore This place of life feels empty Falling into the sands The fullest cups overflow Gauguin colors in the shadows Golds mix with blues and yellows Founding Fathers falling in embers Hina dancing while the blood moon rises Can’t tell any more than this A good day as any to die Digging feet in pebbles trudging on Final words written on weathered postcards Blankly starring into the suns eyes Drinking in love on Fridays No promises as stars fade away Elven Lords of ancient lands Rosy-Fingered dawn never comes Emptiness a ring bearer telling tales Astarte taking whatever's given Coloring symbolism in with permanent markers The path to the undiscovered country Lying, if saying it's for keeps Locked in this turnstile of pain Saying, “I’d like to know you better," To the cemetery gates up the beachhead A burnt offering for us all Ragged coconut tree leaning over Pacific blue Where the big grouper finds it's prey The inspiration for this painting comes from Gauguin Park where the tiki is and the water fall is located in Water Gardens Vaipahi a short distance from each other in Papeete French Polynesia. I found out about the tiki last spring when I was there visiting family. I have always been an admirer of Paul Gauguin. The following poem is about experiencing love, loss, and grief. Detail: Brushwork done wet in wet paint with ultramarine and cerulean blue used for the foreground plants. A focal point is created with titanium white highlights in the waterfall. Flesh tone highlights retain the spontaneity of the under painting. Dedicated to my late wife Colette who lost her fight with cancer in 2014. The style is inspired one of my favorite painters Paul Gauguin.