impressions of isis

winter sky

artist isis godfrey-byrne recently sent along samples of her work and i just love the soft and dreamy quality found throughout her paintings. isis was raised on the big island and left for the uk as a teenager where she studied at some of london's most prestigious art schools. it turns out isis comes from a long line of artists and one branch of her family tree actually founded the contemporary museum in makiki heights.

since returning to hawaii a few years ago, isis's impressionistic take of quiet spots around the islands has popped up at local galleries and museums to offer us all a momentary escape from the whirlwind of daily life.

many of the paintings remind me of taking an early morning walk while still sleepy when the world remains a bit out of focus. then there are the wide open vistas and country roads that seem to document isis's childhood on the big island along with the happy cloud studies that remind me of laying in the grass and watching the big fluffy wisps dance across the sky.

cotton candy

sanctuary

misty road

be sure to stop by fishcake during the month of may when isis will be the design showroom's featured artist. you can also find her work at cedar street galleries and nohea gallery.

• where: fishcake, 307c kamani street

obama 'ohana

while the campaign goes on and on (and on), more good stuff from the land of obama.

1 - butigroove recently released what has to be the best tee bar none for hawaii supporters. snap up one and join the obama 'ohana (w's shown above; m's tee can be found here). a portion of sales goes to the obama campaign.

2 - you may have heard how the first run of shepard fairey's super limited edition obama poster sold out like that and then skyrocketed in price. now you can get your hands on his latest incarnation made for the artists for obama series (and at a much more reasonable $70). it's limited to 5000 prints and 100% is earmarked for the campaign.

sticker versions of shepard's hope design can be had over at sticker robot.

3 - the economy may be tanking but a small spot of hope can be yours each time you break out the obama holliday wallet. (20% of sales are donated to the obama campaign)

and, if you loved the i want to barack your world valentine card featured in the super tuesday spectacular, get ready to do the happy dance since it is now available in a year round design.

p.s. only caught snippets and the cable news spin on obama's more perfect union speech? watch it uncut online and judge for yourself.

north shore sweetie

oceanside

the music of jack johnson often plays in the background while north shore artist heather brown paints in her studio surrounded by the cascading blooms and balmy trees of the countryside. it was hawaii's waves that initially lured heather to the islands from california in 2001, but, after a series of jobs in and about the ocean, she eventually decided the time had come to follow her passion for making art. with a fine arts degree from uh, heather now spends her days with paintbrush in hand to reveal the surface of the sea in a whole new light.

heather's work has always reminded me of the mesmerizing translucence of stained glass so it was a bit of a surprise to learn that was one of the few mediums she has yet to explore. the defined lines that are a signature of her artwork seem to be an homage to heather's background in printmaking and her style effortlessly captures the movement of glassy waves and laid back days at the beach with happy pops of color.

white plumerias

surf girl

in a full circle moment, last year heather met kim johnson (jack's wife & co-founder of the kokua hawaii foundation) who recently tapped her to create the official concert poster for the 2008 kokua festival as well as the artwork seen on plastic free haleiwa's re-usable totebags.

original paintings and silkscreened prints & tees can be ordered online, and heather's artwork can be found hanging in wyland gallery (haleiwa), chinatown boardroom, wet feet (aina haina), and wave riders gallery (san diego).

chinatown boardroom

since its doors opened last year, and after many failed attempts, my trip home over the holidays finally presented a chance to step inside the chinatown boardroom. with a row of candy colored custom surfboards and rotating art exhibits featuring emerging island artists, the small space packs a restrained yet visual punch reflecting the style of its thirtysomething owners eric (resident surfboard shaper) & jackie walden.

the space is reminiscent of something you would expect to find in sf or seattle with everything from street art to surf photography mixed with artist designed tees (jewelry lovers take note: tucked away in a corner is a glass case filled with the delicate creations of local designers justine jones and rona marie). the result is a fresh and youthful vibe that was missing in the neighborhood's gallery scene.

be sure to stop by on the third thursday of the month when chinatown boardroom hosts the surf discussion series. next up: living the dream (mar 20th).

• where: 1160 nu'uanu avenue
• hours: tue to sat, 11a to 4p

{update | oct 2012: alas, chinatown boardroom closed its doors earlier this year. mahalo eric & jackie for creating such a wonderful space for local artists and designers. good luck on your next adventure!}

block printing 101

tree of life

frustrated artistes take note: renowned big island illustrator/artist caren loebel-fried will be holding a workshop to help you become a block printing whiz. the class will cover all the steps required to turn the doodles in your mind into printed paper goods and textiles of your own design.

space is limited so hele over to volcano garden arts for registration details.

• when: sat, feb 9th - 10:30a to 3:30p
• where: volcano garden arts
• cost: $80