Kailua Village Artists
Christal Nylin
Member Artist since 2012
Plein Air Oil Painting
Within the poetry of art, is the life I chose to live.
Plein Air painting (or painting on site) is as much of a process as the painting itself. When I go to a location, I’ll spend a good amount of time looking for that ‘sweet spot’, and zoning in on that point of interest. I look for a combination of elements: a good composition, lighting, and shadows. Perhaps there is a moment or a story to capture, and usually a path to invite the eye into the scene. It takes a lot of observing and there is usually so much to take in. Finding it is an "Aha!" moment, but then setting up in that spot can be a task in itself! Negotiating the terrain and finding shade (especially if you haven’t packed an umbrella,) can be a challenge. Finding the right combination of elements, composition and timing is a treasure.
Christal has been a resident of the Big Island since 1978. She first set up an easel in 2007 and is primarily self-taught. She often paints with the West Hawaii Plein Air Painters and in her home studio.
Christal is known in Kona for her paintings of Coffee images and Kona sites. She also has a passion for old style Hawaiian architecture. In 2014, she spent the summer in Paris where her coffee art was exhibited, and where she was able to paint in the footsteps of her favorite impressionists.
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