Status of Original Painting – For Sale

All prices are in Canadian dollars

Size: 14 x 20  inches

Price: Inquire

Medium: Watercolour on 300 lb Arches

Description:

When you can see the sun set right on the line of the horizon, as in this painting, you may be lucky enough to view the “green flash.” Just as the sun is about to pass below the horizon, there can be a bending of light that creates a bright green spot or arc above and distinct from the sun’s globe. It lasts a second or two, and then the spot and the brightness of the sun are gone. There’s a more detailed explanation about the green flash at this link. Distant clouds or haziness in the atmosphere will prevent it from being seen. And yes, there was a lovely green flash soon after I took the reference photos for this painting.

 “Waiting for the Green Flash” was my working title, until I found myself humming “sunset’s on fire” while painting this. It took me a while to realize that was a lyric from a song I have always liked, “Mull of Kintyre” by Paul McCartney and Wings. I recall my mom really liked that song too, and we’d stop to listen whenever it came on the radio. Sir Paul sings longingly about the remote area of Scotland in which he’s owned land for many decades. Bagpipes join the guitars for a spectacular ending. Depending on the source, the lyric is shown as “the sunset’s on fire” or “the sun sets on fire.” I prefer the former for the title of this painting.

This isn’t a Newfoundland scene; the palm trees on the left should be a giveaway. I took the reference photos from Huggo’s seafood restaurant in Kona on the Big Island of Hawai’i. This was a view I had while seated at a table in the restaurant. Several photos had the angle I wanted while another had the more spectacular sunset from a similar viewpoint. I like how the anchor hangs down from the rafters of the restaurant and catches a bit of fire despite its dull blackness. Also on the left are three lanterns with their fires seeming pitiful next to the majestic fire of Sol, our sun.

Other Hawai’i scenes that I’ve done include Companions, Majestic Honu, Ka napoo ana o, and Hawaiian Snorkel.

My thanks to my wife Lisa for suggestions about editing the composition before I started.