Diane Tuiofu Music
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and the Arts
Composer, Arranger, Pianist
Featured Art
Music is found throughout all of nature and creation, be it in the sounds of a wandering breeze through Aspen trees, a babbling brook winding its way over weathered stones, or the happy trill of a songbird. Music and nature go hand in hand: uplifting and inspiring the soul, bringing respite and refreshment, joy and rejuvenation--nature's gift to us in the earth below and the heavens above. To the naked eye, the sun takes approximately three minutes to set once it hits the waterline, but for a person living across the globe it is rising anew. I wish I could capture the majesty of it all, but colors change so fast. I believe that is why I love art so much: it captures and holds the magic a little longer, allowing us to really see and appreciate it. I thought it would be nice to celebrate artists who have fine-tuned their eyes to see, and their hands to create. I want to honor them, and appreciate their talents and sensitivity to our world. I am dedicating this page to display the work of various artists that I find exceptionally inspiring. I hope you will enjoy these digital works. Please feel free to send me your favorite artists on my contact page, and perhaps they will be posted here. If you'd like to see more of an artist's work, click his/her name to visit their website.
Art is music on canvas
Featured Artists
Title: Beginning - Daniel Gerhartz
Another aspect of Gerhartz' art that I admire is his ability to radiate light through fabric, almost like sun shining through a prism. He adds a shimmering quality as if the figures were draped in satin. He uses impressionistic brush strokes which allow freedom of movement and color blending. Note the use of light blue next to the warmer tones of lavender, tan, coral, and blush pink. These opposite colors accentuate each other.
Title: Dawn of Hope - Daniel Gerhartz
I especially love how Daniel Gerhartz places warm tones against cool tones, and juxtaposes complementary colors that create synergy. He brings such illuminating light into his subjects that I can almost feel its warmth. His art has a softness to it, a romantic gentleness.
Title: Dancing on Air - Daniel Gerhartz
Title: Before the Sun Sets - Daniel Gerhartz
Title: Shelter (see Home Page Slide #4, authorized by Daniel Gerhartz)
I am excited to find Jeffrey T Larson's work! He paints in realism and impressionism. (Be sure to click on his name above to see all his work.) This portrait of a young girl sitting in the water reminds me of my summer days at the beach, carefree, with the sun glistening and reflecting off my skin, and the ocean. He, like Gerhartz, uses complementary colors of periwinkle blue and blush pink-coral. The girl's tan-colored skin sinks into the sand, uniting the two, and fills us with warmth and reverie.
This next portrait is the one that first caught my eye and introduced me to Larson's Art. Impressionistic in style, it gives us the surety of a warm and windy day by the highlighted ripples on the water. We can feel the sun's warmth through the woman's lightweight dress, and orange-glowing hem. For the water, Larson used cool, muted tones (greyed down hues) in a graded fashion--with the darker blue and sage greens representing deeper water, and the lighter tones where it becomes shallow. I can feel the light breeze and imagine sailboats in the unseen horizon.
Larson painted this heart-warming portrait of a woman and young girl in an impressionistic style as well, which gives us the sense of a warm and lovely day at the beach--with the sun shining through thin summer fabric in light blues and coral-salmon tones. Notice how the tan tones on the fabric make it appear wet and hugging the skin. Accents of bright yellow reflect the sun's light on the water, and highlight hair, feet and clothes. The woman and girl are also facing downward, intent on viewing what she has found, which Larson accentuated with a glowing orange color that stands out against shadowed, tanned arms. He used color, figures, positioning and light variations to bring our attention to the focal point of his painting--the object in the girl's hand. What do you think she is holding?
Larson is also known for his realistic portraits, and I would be remiss if I did not include one of his many paintings of fish, and all things shiny! His paintings look like photographs!
He likes to paint his own reflection in some of his works; see if you can find them.
Another notable feature in Larson's work is his love of painting light through fabric. He creates illuminating transparency through multiple layers. The colors in the sky are also reflected as well, using muted tones of greys and blues, and complementary colors of yellows/pinks/corals and tan--warm and inviting. I can even smell the fresh laundry wafting in the breeze!
