Keawakapu Beach is one of my favourite Maui beaches and the other day we came across an artist painting in front of a fantastic natural backdrop of sand, ocean and the distant islands. It was such a picturesque sight that I decided to have a chat with him to find out what he was all about.
The artist's name was Jim Freeheart and he told me that he was working on a commissioned painting of two little girls playing in the waves. It was just beautiful!!
Beside his easel, Jim had a blanket laid out on the beach with a sign that said free art lessons for children. One of his passions is helping inspire children to follow their dreams. Today he showed his little class how to draw a dolphin. As a retired elementary school teacher I found it heartwarming to witness the patient, gentle and encouraging way that he related to the kids.
Jim told me that he has a studio in Maui Meadows and some of his paintings are on display in various Maui galleries. He spends about five months in his Maui home base and the rest of the time travelling to various other states and countries to paint other local scenes. Starting in May he plans to go on a road trip to Canada where he will do some paintings of Vancouver Island. Since we are from that area I am hoping that we will see him this summer.
If his Maui art is any example of how he can capture the essence of a place, then we will look forward to how he interprets our north pacific coast of Canada. He had some of his Maui paintings on display and they are very impressive.
I really like Jim's outlook on life. The following quote from his website says it all.
"I wish to say that my gratitude for the creative gift I was given is inexpressible! The opportunity to highlight some of this world's magnificence and perhaps inspire others to cherish life is such an honor. My greatest hope is that each of us finds our own unique inner gift and expresses it fully! All gifts are equal, though many are not so visible as that of painting. Living our gift is our service to humanity and a pathway to inner peace. Life is like a canvas, we choose our palette and brushes and composition. Regular thoughts of love, harmony and gratitude will form a luminous masterpiece!
Each work of my art carries a star-shaped symbol beside my signature that means to me-"Celebrate the Gift of Life"!
For more information about Jim Freeheart and to see his online gallery visit his
website.
Nice! I will have to keep an eye for him when I am on Maui, it would be fun to watch him at work.
ReplyDeleteHe is a great asset to Keawakapu Beach, not only for his art but for his interactions with the kids. A new generation of artists are being born.
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