I’m excited to introduce Armchair Travels, an invitation to travel around the world through the reportage illustration of Studio 1482. We have gathered art from our travels to share with you in the hopes that, while you can’t get out and see these places (yet), our experiences may bring some happiness and light to your day. Please check back often as we will be posting new adventures weekly.

Enjoy Maui…by Greg Betza

2016 marked my 10 year wedding anniversary so my wife and I decided to take our family of 3 to the islands we’ve heard so much about. For a number of reasons we settled on Maui for the majority of our stay.

To say we were happy with our choice would be terribly understated. This vacation was perfect, just as perfect as the Hawaiian weather. In fact, that is the first memory that comes to mind. I remember making the paintings below from our balcony and thinking, with disbelief, “this is perfect weather…it never changes…it’s just perfect all of the time.” And to me that was a great place from which to start this adventure.

Of course there was more than just the weather. A few days into the trip we braved the legendarily beautiful and dangerous Road to Hana. Of the many stops along the way, and there were many, I particularly enjoyed the Maui Garden of Eden. With a name like that, what more is there really to say. We spent a few hours there among the rare flowers, plants, vistas and peacocks! Here are a few watercolors from the stop.

The natural beauty of the island seems never ending. We took a day trip to Lahaina, Hawaii’s former capital, to see their famous banyan tree. Lahaina Banyan Court Park is rich with history and the islands oldest and largest banyan tree. This tree has 16 trunks and is nearly a quarter mile in circumference! The trunks create a sort of maze where people find spots to rest, pose for pictures, find relief from the sun, or as I did, paint.

From the weather to the natural beauty to the people, Maui is a magical place.