by Abbie Rabinowitz | Aug 7, 2023 | Blog
I’m thrilled to share some exciting news – I’ve been awarded a Juror’s Award for my abstract painting The Garden at the Abstract Only show hosted by the Wailoa Art Center in Hilo, Hawaii. This recognition holds a special place in my heart, acknowledging my journey as an abstract painter and my dedication as a teacher.
Abstract art is a canvas for emotions and imagination, and receiving the Juror’s Award is an incredible honor that motivates me to continue pushing my creative boundaries. Beyond my personal achievement, this recognition has a wider significance. Four of my students also participated in the show, with two of them exhibiting for the very first time. Witnessing their growth and courage fills me with immense pride.
The art community in Hilo is a vibrant and supportive space, and this award reinforces the importance of creative connections. As an artist, I’m inspired to keep exploring and expressing myself, and as a teacher, I’m reminded of the transformative power of sharing inspiration with others.
This celebration of creativity reminds us that art is both an individual and collective journey. I’m deeply grateful to the Wailoa Art Center, the juror Ming Li Jiang, my students, and the arts community for their support. Here’s to the unlimited creativity in all of us!
by Abbie Rabinowitz | Mar 1, 2023 | Blog
Aloha Art Enthusiasts!
I just led my winter Abstract Painting Retreat and I’m still buzzing with excitement.
The retreat was held on the scenic Puna coast of the Big Island of Hawaii and the location was the perfect backdrop for a week of creativity and inspiration. Though the weather was wetter than usual, no one’s spirits were dampened. Our fabulous art studio proved to be an artistic haven, where my students had plenty of space to spread out and wasted no time getting to their easel each day.
We gathered each morning at the studio where I offered students a visual concept or lesson to help guide them forward with their abstractions. Not everyone followed the prompts, nor did it matter. With our magnificent light-filled studio surrounded by a mature tropical garden, there was no lack of visual stimuli to inspire some very exciting large abstract paintings.
Over the course of the week, I watched as my students became more and more confident in their abilities. Though each came from a different artistic background, everyone brought their unique perspective and style to their work.
One of the things I loved most about this retreat was the sense of community that developed among the students. They supported and encouraged each other, shared ideas and techniques, and celebrated each other’s successes. Gathering for delicious catered meals every day allowed us time to relax and deepen our connection.
On the final day, we held a critique that showcased each student’s work. It was incredible to see the variety of styles and techniques on display, and I was so proud of each and every one of my students. They had all grown artistically over the course of the week, and it was an honor to be a part of their journey.
As a teacher, there’s nothing more satisfying than watching your students discover their creative potential. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to have taught this Abstract Painting Retreat on the Big Island of Hawaii, and I can’t wait to see where my students’ artistic journeys take them next. Mahalo!
by Abbie Rabinowitz | Oct 20, 2022 | Exhibits, News and Events, Pleinair Painting
I was pleased to have all five of my paintings accepted to this year’s juried en pleinair show at the Wailoa Art Center in Hilo. It was also an honor to receive my third-place award for my painting Red Road at Makakau!
In addition, my painting Mango Canopy was placed on its own pedestal at the front entrance, where visitors see it first thing when they enter the show. Mahalo to the juror and Wailoa Center staff for presenting my work with so much respect.
It’s a wonderful thing to receive an acknowledgement for the work it takes to be an artist, especially the time spent practicing my art. As an artist, the magic for me is in the actual creation of a piece, especially en pleinair painting where I am outdoors and completely immersed in the breeze, colors, light, and sounds of nature. Receiving an award or selling a piece of art is the icing on the cake. Yes, it’s sweet, but the making of the art is the cherished experience itself.
by Abbie Rabinowitz | Jul 30, 2022 | Blog
Student paintings from five artists/students who participated in Part 1 of my Online Abstract Expressionism Painting course. Their work is based on the various visual parameters that I assigned each week over an 8-week period. I continue to receive deep satisfaction in facilitating a creative experience and witnessing each student develop a unique abstract voice.
If you are interested in participating in an art workshop or retreat, please join my email list so I can inform you of upcoming classes.
Miriam3 repetitive shapes
by Abbie Rabinowitz | Feb 28, 2022 | Blog
The 2022 Hawaii Painting Retreat was a huge success!!
A creative, FUN, inspiring time was had by all participants at this year’s 2022 Tropical Painting Retreat here on the Big Island of Hawaii.
We had sold-out retreat with 8 artists/students who traveled from across the US.
They came to Hawaii to join for this year’s winter getaway art retreat that included daily painting instruction, morning yoga classes, healthy catered meals, exotic excursions, and transformational healing.
Blessed with sunny, perfect Hawaiian weather, students painted pleinair landscapes outdoors, observing the lush, tropical landscape and black lava coasts to inspire their paintings.
Several students who had previously studied abstract painting with me chose to continue with their abstract expressions, inspired by the energy of the island.
Next year in 2023 I plan to offer two separate painting retreats in Hawaii, a pleinair painting retreat and an abstract, intuition-based painting retreat.
The Big Island is literally a hot-bed of inspiration with exotic tropical vegetation, seascapes, lavascapes, and an active volcano.
Please sign up on my email list to get updates on the dates for my upcoming transformational art retreats.
Jeannie watercolor painting
Painting under Kamani trees
Painting under palm canopy
Painting under the tree tunnel
Peek through the tree trunks
Painting lava tube by the coast
Gregory shares his landscape
Rebecca at 17 mile marker
Lunch on the lanai
Sharing healthy meals during lunch break outside on the lanai.
by Abbie Rabinowitz | Jan 15, 2022 | Blog
Just weeks ago my students and I completed Part 3: Painting in a Series. This was the third module, a series of 8-week online courses in Abstract Expressionism. The focus of this class was on creating paintings in a series. Throughout the workshop, students created paintings that were based on the painting exercises I provided each week. The exercises were developed to provide a platform for self-inquiry. The students had completed the two previous courses with me, so it was extremely rewarding to see them further extend their vision and develop their artistic voices.
John Ballentine: Conversations
John Ballentine: Conversations
John Ballentine: Conversations
John Ballentine: Conversations
John Ballentine: Conversations
John Ballentine: Conversations
Inika Spence: Parents and offspring
Inika Spence: Parents and offspring
Inika Spence: Parents and offspring
Inika Spence: Parents and offspring
Inika Spence: Parents and offspring
Inika Spence: Parents and offspring
Susan Taylor: Siblings
Susan Taylor: Siblings
Susan Taylor: Siblings
Susan Taylor: Siblings
Amy Zone:: Siblings
Amy Zone:: Siblings
Amy Zone:: Siblings
Amy Zone:: Siblings
https://www.abbierabinowitz.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Kieran1-scaled.jpg
Kieran Hyland: Parents and offspring
Kieran Hyland: Parents and offspring
Kieran Hyland: Parents and offspring
Kieran Hyland: Parents and offspring
Kieran Hyland: Parents and offspring
Richard Koob: Final series
Richard Koob: Final series
Richard Koob: Final series
Richard Koob: Final series
Richard Koob: Final series
Richard Koob: Final series
Phil Rodak: Siblings
Phil Rodak: Siblings
Phil Rodak: Siblings
Phil Rodak: Siblings
Phil Rodak: Siblings
Phil Rodak: Siblings
by Abbie Rabinowitz | Jun 7, 2021 | Blog
The following student painting gallery represents the artwork from five artists/students who participated in my Online Abstract Expressionism Painting course. Their work is shown chronologically and is based on the various visual parameters that I assigned each week over a 16-week period. It’s been my joy to facilitate a creative experience and witness each student develop their unique abstract voice during this time period.
If you are interested in participating in an art workshop or retreat, please join my email list so I can inform you of upcoming classes.
Miriam3 repetitive shapes
by Abbie Rabinowitz | May 25, 2021 | Blog
Beyond My Wisdom
Prompt from my weekly writing group.
Dusk along the Puna coast. Watercolor, 2017
What is beyond my wisdom?
If something is beyond our wisdom, can we actually comprehend it? Certainly beyond my knowledge I can understand. But wisdom?
What is wisdom after all?
Does wisdom equal the sum of our knowledge? No, not really but I think wisdom encompasses that.
Wisdom is one’s intuition, at least in part. We intuit things often, yet we don’t always act on our intuition.
Wisdom is more like… knowing when a painting is done.
Knowing when a painting is done is a learned skill based on ample experience, plus a big dose of inner knowing.
Kids know when their paintings are done. They finish and shout out in glee, “Look at what I did!”
Adults artists rarely know when to stop. How often do we ask another’s advice “Do you think it’s finished yet?”
How can we, the creator not know?
We paint and the love of painting exceeds the time when the painting is actually complete. When we overwork a painting we lose the initial freshness. We arrive at the point of “Ugh!”, long after the initial “Ahh!”
Sadly it is only in hindsight when we know the artwork has been pushed too far. Though with insight, this experience adds to the sum of our wisdom.
My wish is to conjure the state of Beyond my Wisdom. Go one step further than knowledge and three steps back into childhood innocence.
Abbie Rabinowitz ~ May, 2021.
by Abbie Rabinowitz | Apr 15, 2021 | Blog
Ohia and Lehua, acrylic on canvas, 8”x10”
Ohia and Lehua
This week my Plein air painting group and I tromped over an old, crumbly lava field to our destination along the Red Road… a small ohia tree in full bloom with lehua blossoms. These ohia trees are the first trees that grow in the cooled lava fields. The ohia trees are native to the Hawaiian islands, and because they grow directly from the lava rocks and cracks, they have a strong association with the volcano goddess herself, Pele.
I decided to study this beloved island tree up close, and really examine how this gnarly, twisted tree grows, how the leaves are formed, and where the fire red blossoms perch on the limbs.
There is also a magnificent Hawaiian legend of how Ohia and Lehua first came to be:
“The legend says that one day Pele met a handsome warrior named Ohia and she asked him to marry her. Ohia, however, had already pledged his love to Lehua. Pele was furious when Ohia turned down her marriage proposal, so she turned Ohia into a twisted tree.
Lehua was heartbroken, of course. The gods took pity on Lehua and decided it was an injustice to have Ohia and Lehua separated. They thus turned Lehua into a flower on the Ohia tree so that the two lovers would be forever joined together.
Hawaiian folklore says that if you pluck this flower you are separating the lovers, and that day it will rain.”
Richard, Lynn, and myself painting around the Ohia tree.
by Abbie Rabinowitz | Apr 8, 2021 | Blog, live painting
How I began painting at weddings
The journey of painting at weddings began a few years ago when a bride-to-be approached me with a unique request. She inquired if I offered “live painting” services for weddings. The bride had discovered my work online and was particularly drawn to the expressive and impressionistic style of my landscape paintings. Without hesitation, I gladly accepted her proposition. After all, I had plenty of experience capturing people and places in real-time through my years of artistic practice.
The bride shared her vision with me, describing the specific scene she desired to be painted. I dedicated myself to bringing her imagination to life on canvas. The satisfaction of fulfilling her expectations was immensely gratifying.
Since that initial experience, I have had the privilege of attending numerous weddings on the beautiful islands of Hawaii, both on the Big Island and Kauai. It is an absolute honor for me to offer my services as an artist, allowing me to witness and immortalize these incredibly special and memorable events through the creation of a stunning painting.
My Process
I make sure to arrive several hours ahead of the actual ceremony, allowing ample time for setting up and painting the surroundings. My goal is to capture the essence of the location, including flower arrangements, water views, gardens, palm trees, and breathtaking vistas while incorporating any other special details you desire. Working swiftly to encompass the entire scene, I paint throughout the ceremony while also taking photos to work from afterward.
Later, in my studio, I refine the painting by adding portrait details and applying finishing touches. To accomplish this, I utilize the photos I take at the wedding. The primary focus of the painting naturally centers around the bride and groom, but there is also the option to include members of the wedding party and guests. Once the final image is completed and you are satisfied with the result, I promptly send the painting to you.
I consider myself fortunate to have received tremendous appreciation from all my clients for their paintings. I strive not only to capture the physical likeness and setting of the wedding couple but also to convey the emotions and excitement that make a wedding day truly unforgettable.
Wedding Painting Gallery
Prices start at $1600 for watercolor on paper and range to $2400 for 24″x30″, acrylic on canvas. Shipping is extra.
Please contact me with the specifics of your wedding painting commission. We’ll discuss the date, time, setting, and other specifics you have planned for your wedding landscape & portrait.
