"Waikamoi Forest"  Oil on linen.  28 x 42 inches.

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Maui's great Waikamoi Forest, a significant stand of intact Hawaiian rainforest at high elevation in East Maui, hardly any different today than it might have appeared thousands of years ago.  The native plants that flourish here include the Ohi'a, the most abundant tree in Hawaiian rainforest, and the impressive Hapu'u tree-fern (the one seen above, to the right, stands about ten feet high).  This is not an area of easy access, but is well worth the trouble.  The frequent fog in this region is of great benefit to the painter - the thick atmosphere creates a greater sense of depth by enhancing the sense of distance between foreground and background objects.  Without the fog, views of the forest often seem like little more than green chaos, lacking any clear structure or composition.