TextBy=All images (c)1996 by Christian Riese Lassen
PhotoCount=0
AboutPersonText=About Christian Riese Lassen...
[Titles]
Title1=Lin Wa II
Title2=Lords of the Sea II
Title3=Majestic Encounters
Title4=Majestic Voyagers
Title5=Maui Colors
Title6=Maui Gold
Title7=Maui Moon II
Title8=Miracle of Life
Title9=Mother's Love II
Title10=Mystic Places
Title11=New Hope
Title12=Night Dancer
Title13=Ocean Prince
Title14=Our World
Title15=Paradise
Title16=Peaceful Lahaina Eve II
Title17=Rainbow Sea
Title18=Romance of the Sea
Title19=Ruby of the South Pacific
Title20=Sanctuary
Title21=Ancient Rhythms
Title22=Children of the Stars
Title23=Cliffs of Kapalua
Title24=Crystal Waters of Maui
Title25=Dolphins of Hana
Title26=Dolphin Quest II
Title27=Eternity
Title28=Family
Title29=Galaxy of Life
Title30=Golden Moment
Title31=Harmony
Title32=Hawaiian Dawn
Title33=Heaven
Title34=Infinity
Title35=Island Treasures
Title36=Kahana Falls
Title37=Lahaina Reflections
Title38=Lahaina Starlight II
Title39=Lahaina Symphony
Title40=Lahaina Visions
Title41=Sapphire Nights
Title42=Sea of Tranquility
Title43=Secret Path
Title44 =Serenity
Title45=Starlight Lahaina
Title46=The Cosmic Children
Title47=The Cosmos
Title48=The Dawn of Pele
Title49=The Falls of Hana
Title50=The Infinite Way
Title51=The Sacred Pool
Title52=Tranquillity
Title53=Whale Star
[Descriptions]
No:1
\HLin Wa II\h
\I1986. Oil on panel. 30" x 20" (76 cm x 51 cm)\i
"The Lin Wa is an exquisite glass-bottom boat that has made it possible for thousands of visitors to enjoy the glories of life among the reefs of Maui. I painted this soon after my return from Europe, and it was influenced very much by Monet."
--Christian Riese Lassen
No:2
\HLords of the Sea II\h
\I1993. Acrylic on trovicel. 30" x 20" (76 cm x 51 cm) \i
Through Lassen's SeaVision Foundation, a portion of profits from the sale of Lassen products is donated to other environmental groups--most prominently the Pacific Whale Foundation--who provide research and data for groups lobbying for legislative changes. To further those causes closest to his heart, Christian formed a partnership with that organization in 1991; the information it provides is a very powerful tool for restricting destructive fishing practices and pollution.
No:3
\HMajestic Encounters\h
\I1990. Acrylic on plexi. 48" (122 cm) \i
"A very symbolic, East-meets-West painting, Majestic Encounters is also a different cross-section of life on this planet. The painting brings a range of worlds and elements together in one circular image: the Orion nebula (a hatchery for stars), the remnants of an ancient civilization, a rare and endangered species of land animal (a clouded leopard), and the fish and dolphins (who want to make contact with the big cat)."
--Christian Riese Lassen
No:4
\HMajestic Voyagers\h
\I1994. Acrylic on trovicel. 30" x 20" (76 cm x 51 cm) \i
Maui's magnificent whales have been a favorite subject for Christian's brush. Frequently, he has seen them spouting nearby as he windsurfed near the coast. On one occasion, he was boardsailing through a large pod of whales when a breaching humpback exploded out of the water right next to him. When the whale plunged back into the surf just a few feet away, Christian was thrown from his sailboard. "My friends on the beach thought it had landed on me. It was heart-stopping--the enormity of it! The velocity and the force of the water was incredible!"
--excerpt from \IThe Art of Lassen\i, an exceptional coffee table book featuring over 100 brilliant full color plates of Christian Riese Lassen's paintings, a brief biography of Lassen, and commentary by the artist on his works.
No:5
\HMaui Colors\h
\I1988. Oil on canvas. 24" x 36" (61 cm x 91 cm) \i
"Here I got bold with color, but used a brushstroke inspired by Monet. This very textural painting is perhaps my most successful impressionistic work. The yacht harbor at Lahaina on West Maui's shore has all the natural elements to make this work."
--Christian Riese Lassen
No:6
\HMaui Gold\h
\I1992. Acrylic on trovicel. 20" x 30" (51 cm x 76 cm) \i
"\IMaui Gold\i was begun in Tahiti and completed on Maui. The combination of detailed brushwork with a new technique in airbrushing yielded the incredibly rich and evocative hues. This painting is representative of the wonderfully vibrant colors so often found on Maui."
--Christian Riese Lassen
No:7
\HMaui Moon II\h
\I1992. Acrylic on trovicel. 36" x 24" (91 cm x 61 cm) \i
\ISurrendering at last to its own first dream, the spirit of Maui shrugs off the sleep of man and breathes a sigh of return to life primordial, alien and pure."\i
--text from \IThe Art of Lassen\i, an exceptional coffee table book featuring over 100 brilliant full color plates of Christian Riese Lassen's paintings, a brief biography of Lassen, and commentary by the artist on his works.
No:8
\HMiracle of Life\h
\I1994. Acrylic on trovicel. 20" x 30" (51 cm x 76 cm) \i
"I believe I will be able to do something through my art to spread the word about the destruction and deterioration of the global environment, and about the way people think of other people and other cultures. I feel it's critically important to preserve all the incredible qualities of this Earth that are steadily being eroded away. This is my message."
--excerpt from \IThe Art of Lassen\i, an exceptional coffee table book featuring over 100 brilliant full color plates of Christian Riese Lassen's paintings, a brief biography of Lassen, and commentary by the artist on his works.
No:9
\HMother's Love II\h
\I1993. Acrylic on trovicel. 30" x 20" (76 cm x 51 cm) \i
Like the original \IMother Love\i, this painting features a dolphin and her calf. However, \IMother Love II\i is an above-and-below perspective, whereas \IMother Love\i depicts an underwater scene.
No:10
\HMystic Places\h
\I1990. Acrylic on canvas. 24" x 48" (61 cm x 122 cm) \i
"A timeless fantasy teeming with a glorious range of life and energy, this work brings different worlds closer together so that they can interact. This was my second triptych and the first painting in which I included larger-scale stars and planets in the sky. The dramatic coastline is rendered in a very primordial surrealism."
--Christian Riese Lassen
No:11
\HNew Hope\h
\I1994. Acrylic on trovicel. 24" x 36" (61 cm x 91 cm) \i
The days Christian has spent swimming and diving with the dolphin have had a great effect on his work. "I've never seen an animal so in tune with its environment; the dolphin has reached a level of environmental harmony that greatly exceeds ours. I do a lot of dolphin paintings now--they're among my favorite subjects--because I feel I have an understanding of them. I've cradled them in my arms and been towed through the water, and made extended eye-to-eye contact with them. These are perhaps the most extraordinary creatures on the planet. They have much to teach us."
--excerpt from \IThe Art of Lassen\i, an exceptional coffee table book featuring over 100 brilliant full color plates of Christian Riese Lassen's paintings, a brief biography of Lassen, and commentary by the artist on his works.
No:12
\HNight Dancer\h
\I1992. Acrylic on panel. 30" x 20" (76 cm x 51 cm) \i
"This classic Hawaiian seascape depicts the elemental meeting of great natural forces seen along the north coast of Maui. In painting it, I've combined intricate handwork with a new airbrush technique that allows me to create some wonderful lighting effects. I painted \INight Dancer\i as a companion piece to \IMaui Gold.\i"
--Christian Riese Lassen
No:13
\HOcean Prince\h
\I1992. Watercolor on paper. 14 1/2" x 10 1/2" (37 cm x 27 cm) \i
The movement in Christian's artistic life--toward a deep and abiding reverence for the spirit in nature--seemed to culminate in the prolific outpouring of 1992. Literally dozens of pain
