Happy Aloha Friday!

Here is an original skateboard deck I painted about 6 years back for a group show I did with my husband Chris, Our friend Iki from Japan and Welzie from the North Shore of Oahu. The group show was all about whales and the Narwhal deck was one of my favorite pieces I created.

I have always enjoyed painting animals starting from my early days creating photo realistic charcoal pieces, mainly of horses.

These days I love creating my animals in a way that sparks happiness instantly. They are a bit silly and each one has their very own personality that shines brightly.

I have actually been emailed by some people telling me that I shouldn't paint an animal a certain way, or show an animal in a non-animal environment, and more. While I respect everyones opinion, my feeling has always been to show the beauty and happiness of nature and all earthlings in hopes that it will help people want to protect them. I truly believe that if everyone was able to spend time in beautiful natural places and spend time with animals and see how they live and react with each other, many people would come away with a much deeper appreciation and most likely want to protect the earth and all its beings more.

By creating art like this, I hope to speak the imaginations of the millions of people that do not have the ability to be in nature, that have never seen the ocean, and that don't even know about whales and other endangered species.

I hope that this cute little guy adds a bit of Aloha to your heart this weekend and you share that love with your family, our environment and all of the creatures that inhabit this beautiful Earth with us.

Mahalo and Aloha!

Heather Brown Art Narwhal Skateboard Original

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Heather Brown Happy Art Rainbow Birds Creation Story

Back in 2014 I was asked by Jalpak to produce art for their new double decker tour busses that they had on Oahu. At the time there were only two busses. An original acrylic painting on a bus wouldn't last and I have never thought about painting my art at that scale.

So we got the dimensions of the bus and scaled it down to a workable size for me to paint on canvas. I painted the piece on 3 canvasses that were each 20"x40" I included a picture of me painting the first 2 canvasses in my studio on the north shore of Oahu. We then did a very high resolution scan of the 3 pieces and my publisher, Black Sand Publishing in Honolulu, created the custom wraps for the busses.

As an extra for the project I wanted to do something a bit fun and silly and something that people stuck in the Honolulu traffic congestion could look at and smile (especially if you are directly in back of the bus!)

This was the catalyst for me to create the Rainbow Birds.

Over the years I have received so many messages and emails from people that have been in back of the busses telling me how it made them smile in an otherwise frustrating time in traffic. That made me so happy that I decided to work with Jalpak to get the art on 12 more trolleys in the Honolulu area.

While I see my art plenty, it is always such a rush of excitement when I see one driving down the streets of Waikiki.

Subsequently, the Rainbow Birds piece has been the most tattooed piece of my art to date! I probably receive 1-2 emails a month of pictures of rainbow bird tattoos. This makes me happy to see the deep connection that people can have with art.

I hope you all are enjoying the week and as always I am so incredibly thankful for all of you and your love and support to me, my art and my family!

Happy Art by Heather Brown Rainbow Birds

Hawai'i Surf Artist Heather Brown on Jalpak bus she designed

Jalpak bus with Happy Heather Brown Surf Art and Rainbow Birds

Surf Artist Heather Brown Creating the original art for Jalpak

The Creation of Heather Brown's Diamond Head Surf Art Limited Release print

In about 2003-2004 I was surfing out at Pop's in Waikiki on a gorgeous summer day. The water was the most beautiful blue, the whitewater dancing off the sea surface, the sun shining down upon us and the absolute beauty of Le'ahi, the Hawaiian name for Diamond Head, washing over me.

I must have studied it for hours and barely caught a wave as I watched the puffy white clouds slowly move behind the beautiful natural monument as if they were trying to show off Le'ahi for all of us lucky enough to see it. I must have watched until about a half hour past sunset watching the last bits of light refract of the beautiful curves.

I caught a wave in, rushed onto my moped, rode home and went directly to my easel to try and capture some of what I saw that day. After a few different renditions over the next couple of weeks, I finally decided that this was the version that I wanted to release out to the world.

I always hope that as much as the joy and Aloha are transmitted through my paintings, so is the Beauty that we all need to cherish and protect.

Diamond Head is now available as a Limited Release Fine Art print on paper We offer it framed in a float mount frame in black or white and also rolled for each and cheap shipping and you can put it in the frame of your choice .

Diamond Head by Modern Surf Artist Heather Brown

Tropical Surf Art of Diamond Head by Heather Brown

In 2005 through 2009 I was painting every night after working as a dive master and boat captain on the North Shore. While now, I certainly like my zzzzzz's, I always think about the days living in a 300 square foot place, waking up in the morning, going to work, coming home, moving all my furniture and everything I had our of the way so I could paint, matt prints, stretch giclees and package everything. While it was very tiring (from never getting enough sleep) and I was working multiple jobs to fuel my passion I would never give up that time. I never thought my art would be accepted, so I thank you all for your support and Aloha through the years! When I get tired at my easel, I think of your smiles, when I am hand embellishing Artist proofs, I think of the times that we shared our Aloha together and when I see someone connect with my art, it brings me more smiles and the warmth in my heart that only your happiness can bring.

I painted Spring during that period and it was the first piece that I did on a more monochromatic tone. It was and is still one of my absolute favorite pieces to this day.

Mahalo! Mahalo!! Mahalo!!!

Heather Brown Modern Surf Art "Spring" Limited Release giclee on paper

Framed "Spring" by Heather Brown