# Winter in Paradise (Warning HIGH photo content)



## Steven_Chong (Mar 17, 2005)

(Photo from my bedroom window in Nuuanu)

After a semester of studying with little outlet except for the one scape in my room, I was truly eager to get a creative-recharge this last winter break. I just came back to school after a month back in my home town, Honolulu Hawaii. Wow it was pretty. And warm. Nice and warm. Darn it's cold on the mainland.

Anyway, this thread is kind of a creative tour of the things I did in order to relax and re-inspire. In order to improve, one has to reach out to understand things better, work to gain experience, and to expose oneself to more.

If you're not really interested in seeing what I did, don't read but this is kind of a gift from me to those who care to know what other artists are doing to try and expand themselves (well in this case, myself).










My Dad's company owns a beach house on the North Shore, and my family spent the first week of my vacation there (me and all my cousins). Man, it was great. I've been going to the beach house since I was in the 4th grade, and not once has it failed to relax me. This time is the last time though, because the company is selling it. *sigh* I'm just glad in the last year I had enough photo-knowledge to take some decent ones.





































I took a lot more, and I'll try to add more as I edit them.

This is a really beautiful beach, and I'm not sure if you can tell, but it was the inspiration for "Hau Coast."

Aside from getting in touch with the beach, I took some time to visit the mountains and forests. I took one such excursion to visit my friends Hiroshi Tagami and Michael Powel. Hiroshi is a famous painter in Hawaii, known mostly for his _amazing_ landscape paintings. Hiroshi has known me since I was a baby, nad he's always been a huge influence on me, my thinking, and my artwork. Even when I was a small boy of 4 or 5, I would always be able to recognize a Tagami (one of his paintings). Michael is another professional painter who lives with Hiroshi, and his landscape paintings are also amazing!










From left to right, my friend Leslie who's also an artist, Michael Powel who is another professional painter (really good painter!) and sort of Hiroshi's Apprentice, Hiroshi Tagami, Wakada-san who designed the gardens at Hiroshi's house, and I'm in front. Leslie and I are dressed in some old clothes because we came over to paint! It was a great experience with Hiroshi giving us personal attention.

And now some photos from Hiroshi's house:










From Hiroshi's backyard, you can see his greenhouse where a huge variety of terrestrial plants can be found. Before he was a painter, Hiroshi was a botanist of sorts, and a huge number of the plants in Hawaii were brought by him when he used to work for the state. The State of Hawaii sent Hiroshi all over the world to look for plants that would be useful for Hawaii. After seeing the world, Hiroshi used the sense of nature he developed on his journeys to become an incredible painter.




























From this photo you can see the gallery on the left, and the Japanese-style building on the right that functions as another gallery and studio.



















There's a large jungle on Hiroshi's property behind his backyard. When I was a child, I enjoyed exploring there because there's a path that leads through it.










Me and Sasha. 










Leslie and me hanging out on Hiroshi's pateo.

Hiroshi is truly an inspiration for an Aquascaper. The man is truly in touch with Nature as one can see in his paintings. Aside from paintings though, Hiroshi used to breed a large range of African Cichlids, and the house still has a beautiful pond in the courtyard. If you go to the Hilton in Waikiki, the pond has a large colony of blue African cichlids that were originally Hiroshi's. The house is studded with plant life. Everywhere are a huge variety of bromiliades, ferns, fern-allies, orchids and mosses among other plants that Hiroshi has brought to his home. When I was a child, the house had an enormous aviary where some 50 different types of parrots and other tropical birds made their home. The property was also home to some pet monkeys and of course Hiroshi's dog Sasha. Even as a collochy little boy, after playing at such a beautiful place I would fall asleep easily on the porch where there's a view out to the ocean.

After receiving some personal teaching from Hiroshi, I was able to finish 2 paintings that I started this vacation:



















The first is the beach on the North Shore. The second is a maple forest on Miyajima island in Japan during the fall.

I hope you enjoyed my little tour through some special parts of paradise to me, and that you will all keep striving for greater inspiration (and share photos with me :bounce: )

Thanks for looking.









(A photo fron Valley of the Temples on Oahu)


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## gf225 (Mar 26, 2005)

Wonderfully insightful Steven. I envy your closeness to such beautiful surroundings, and people. 

I hope you don't expect such things when you visit London, England! 

Thanks for sharing your fascinating experiences with us all.

PS That last photo man.......


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## Steven_Chong (Mar 17, 2005)

Thanks George.

Don't make me laugh-- every place you go is an inspiration. I'm looking forward to London.


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## Dabolox (Jan 5, 2007)

Wonderful places... it's a dream... 

If you want to come in Italy... you will find places much evocative... like the eternal Rome... the beautiful Venice... Florence... Sardinia... Sicily an more


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## Kelley (Aug 27, 2006)

Thank you for sharing your lovely photos, Steven. You have made a grey Iowa winter's day seem warmer.


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## slickwillislim (Oct 11, 2005)

I saw the pictures before. They are very nice. I was just going to tell you that its giving me a warning bandwith exceeded instead of any pictures right now. I hope you can fix this so more people can see the lovely pictures. Looks like you had a lot of fun. It has been cold here lately hasn't it?


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## Steven_Chong (Mar 17, 2005)

Thanks for that will, I wouldn't have known! I deleted a bunch of photos on my photobucket, so hopefully, we aren't getting that issue anymore.

Dabolox-- Ah, I'll have to try Italy someday 

Kelley-- 

In the mean time, while photobucket is being a !#@$, you can see most of the scenery photos at my deviantart site in my signature.


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## Bert H (Mar 2, 2004)

Pics not showing up for me. Banner shows up: "Photobucket.com Bandwith Exceeded"


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## Anti-Pjerrot (Mar 12, 2006)

Your paintings from the beach (espessially Beach at Hale Kekea) reminds me of some of the danish "Skagens"-paintings from the late 1870'ies naturalism.

Youre paintings are beautiful, and wery inspirering.


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## freydo (Jan 7, 2006)

AAAARRRRRGGGGGG!!!! photos are down!!!!


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## Steven_Chong (Mar 17, 2005)

Ah, yeah . . . I guess I "exceded my bandwith" on photobucket.

Please be patient with me-- I'll try to reload all the photos that aren't at deviantart yet into my "scraps" at deviantart. I'll post a link when I get them up. Sorry about that guys.


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## Skelley (Mar 4, 2006)

I did get to see the photos before they went down and I have to say I am incredibly jealous. I wish I saw that when I looked out the window every morning. 

Beautiful pics!


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## Steven_Chong (Mar 17, 2005)

I wish I saw that still too. XD

Anyway guys, like I said I got up almost all the stuff at deviantart. So either click on the not-showing banner (  ) in my sig, or else go here:

StevenChong-no-GMF on deviantART

"Browse Gallery" to see more

Many of the non-piece photos are here in my "scraps" section:

StevenChong-no-GMF's deviantART Gallery


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## aquariageek (May 27, 2006)

Your photos are *amazing*. I can't wait until photobucket gives you some more bandwidth so we can see the rest.

By the way, a lot of those photos would make amazing desktop backgrounds... especially Naupaka on the Shore. Perhaps someday we will see 800x600 or 1024x768???   Sorry, I had to ask.

Do you sell prints btw... those would make amazing pictures in a room with a contemporary theme... or anywhere!!


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## Steven_Chong (Mar 17, 2005)

aquariageek-- Thanks for the feedback. If you guys want 800x600's I'll try to make some. Shouldn't be hard. If you guys want prints, I can look into selling those too. No prob.


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## gf225 (Mar 26, 2005)

Steven_Chong said:


> Thanks George.
> 
> Don't make me laugh-- every place you go is an inspiration. I'm looking forward to London.


Wise words....

I hope you like crowds, concrete and steel then!


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## SUBORPHAN (Apr 20, 2006)

gf225 said:


> Wise words....
> 
> I hope you like crowds, concrete and steel then!


yeah, toped up with a layer of congestion charges.


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## ed seeley (Dec 1, 2006)

SUBORPHAN said:


> yeah, toped up with a layer of congestion charges.


Don't forget the 'interesting' people on the tube late night too!


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## Steven_Chong (Mar 17, 2005)

With all the inside jokes and inuendos, you guys are making it sound more interesting. ^^;

George-- I'm hoping that I can make it out to the country side sometime. I am planning to be there for almost a month.


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## Tankman (Feb 19, 2006)

Hi Steven, unfortunately there aren't any images showing...


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## Steven_Chong (Mar 17, 2005)

Tankman, I'm painfully aware they're not showing.  If you want to see the photos, try clicking on the links I posted to my deviantart site.


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## Sudi (Feb 3, 2005)

The bandwith should be measured every hour, so the pics. should be back up for a while after this hour. (11pm my time)


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