When Sugar Was King

The Old Sugar Mill

11 x 15 soft pastels on Art Spectrum Colourfix

Miki Willa

I painted this old sugar mill last summer. The sketch was done en plein air, but I did the painting in the studio. I was out on the North Shore of Hawaii with my painting friend when we discovered a wonderful park in Haleiwa. The park is on the water at the west end of town. You can look back toward Haleiwa to the east, out across the vast Pacific to the north, or west toward the mountains. I had always wanted to paint this place, but hadn't seen it from this vantage until that wonderful day. On other days, my friend and I have driven all over the area around the mill taking photos of plantation style houses and buildings. Someday, I will have to get those out to paint.

We just took down our show and this painting is hanging in the living room. I thought it would be fun to share.