edwin ushiro: preceeding sunday

to counter imponderability

hello all! edwin ushiro recently sent a preview of his new show in the great northwest so if you call seattle home definitely make your way to belltown and the roq la rue gallery to check it out. for those who just discovered h|h this year (welcome welcome!), edwin is a mixed media artist from maui who now calls los angeles home. his muse still reaches back to childhood when chilling obake stories of creepy specters who haunt the islands from the land to the sea and all points in between were traded at sleepovers and over campfires.

a casual glance may only see carefree, innocent scenes of small kid time, but i like to think that the many layers worked into each piece act as an unspoken reminder that all is not as it seems. even though i spook easily, i always find edwin's depiction of childhood in hawaii comforting despite the whispers of grisly circumstances lurking beneath the surface. for the preceeding sunday show, kaena point's gateway to the spirit world (shown above) and a temptress apparition luring unsuspecting paniolos to their demise are among edwin's latest collection of local legends.

that said, the idea of passing by the most spine-tingling depiction on a daily basis is too much for my faint constitution to even consider (much to the chagrin of my mister who always seems to covet the scariest obake tale come to life), however more wistful remembrances of days gone by along with sweeter hawaiian myths do pop up every so often.

all signals configuring to a position . . .

tingling sensation of adorable reminiscentia . . .

the 1921 wall

a muffled concept of what we considered ubiquitous

isn't edwin's contribution to the lost underground art project fabulous? (lauren gregg's charlie is also quite delightful, btw.) the piece was already sold by the time it crossed my radar, but happy to see a local artist get some love from one of the islands' all-time favorite tv series filmed in hawaii!

a few pieces from edwin's seattle show (co-starring yoskay yamamoto) already have a red dot, however purchasing inquiries by phone or email are welcome.

• show dates: now to sun, oct 10th
• where: roq la rue gallery, 2312 2nd avenue, seattle
• gallery hours: wed to sat, 1p to 6p & by appointment

go with the flow

 

we have a last minute visitor tomorrow so i am in a tizzy tidying up our nest to make everything pretty as can be when our landlord's appraiser walks through our door. while i slip on my best martha stewart impression, enjoy a peek of a fun print designed by california illustrator mark giglio who took inspiration from architect craig steely's lava flow 2 house built on the big island.

the print is one from an artist series to commemorate dwell's tenth anniversary.

limited edition. 100 available. price tag $125. find them in the dwell shop while they last!

heather brown: high tide peeks

one of my regrets from my last trip home was flying off the island before heather brown's new art show debuted at chinatown boardroom. lucky for us, gallery owner (& new mama!) jackie was kind enough to gather up glimpses of many of the original artworks currently hanging on the gallery walls. longtime readers may guess that i am just crushing over heather's collection of little birdies in all their pint-sized glory . . . aren't they even cuter repeated row after row after row?

the show is filled with an array of small and big waves with nary a surfer in sight. other pieces include paintings on reclaimed wood salvaged from a north shore bungalow, and artwork introducing a more realistic style of wave.

no. 472 * 441 * 473

no. 429 * 438 * 440

if you are off-island and spotted a new favorite for your personal gallery, you are welcome to email or phone the gallery for purchasing details. (fyi: the 6x6 mini paintings start at $400.) paintings are numbered but jackie also shared that you can name your painting and heather will sign the back to make the title official!

and, if you are looking for more gently priced options, screenprinted totes ($30) and prints on sugar cane paper ($40) round out the show offerings.

• show dates: now to sat, sep 25th
• where: 1160 nu'uanu avenue, chinatown
  
• gallery hours: tue to sat, 11a to 4p

{mahalo jackie! and congratulations on the addition of the very adorable little miss parker to your 'ohana!}

boutique week: drift

drift inside . . .

photos from drift have just arrived and i am delighted to post some of the first peeks inside the kaimuki boutique which just happens to be the new neighbor of our friends at shop toast! drift debuted last weekend after many years of retail daydreaming by bff's and newly minted shop proprietors ale klein and laura ivy who, with help from family and friends, modernized the interior with rehabbed castoffs and lucky discoveries to create a bright and airy space to showcase island designers and artists.

one of drift's shop exclusives are urgentina's super cute canvas totes appliquéd with sweet pledges of allegiance to town or country (neighborhood declarations can also be made for kaimuki and kailua). priced at $40, i predict these to be quite popular and cheerfully demand more neighborhood options, please! or, perhaps a two sided tote for those of us who heart both sides of the island.

in addition to their shop duties, ale and laura design an in-house jewelry line ($35 and under) along with a slipper collection embellished with seashells. and, with many of us watching our budgets these days, you will be happy to know that most of the merch is priced under $100.

local labels stocked at drift include d'angelo designs, khush, indigenous soap, sierra dew, tiare teiti, urgentina bikinis, vers hawaii; jewelry by lance gentry (who handpicks sunrise shells from haleiwa's shores) and stoney seas; plus artwork by vers creators matt ortiz and roxanne chasle and photography by taueva fa'otuista.

next time you find yourself in the area, do pop in to say hello and welcome the drift 'ohana to the neighborhood!

• where: 3434 waialae avenue, suite 4, kaimuki
• shop hours: mon to sun, 1p to 7p

p.s. a few finishing touches remain on the official website so click over to drift's facebook for shop updates.

simply stated

monk seal + nene

amy ruppel from portland is one of my favorite artists so you can imagine my disappointment upon discovering that i had missed not one but *two* of her state series collections last year which just so happened to include hawaii. i first met amy's art hanging in a trailer at one of the first thread shows in san diego many years ago and found myself instantly smitten with her sweet offerings which featured little bird illustrations softened by a layer of beeswax so i am just crushed that the hawaii originals have already found a home.

while i am still holding out for an original piece of art so that i can enjoy the soft, cloudy glow crafted via encaustic (an ancient artmaking technique that is happily enjoying a modern day renaissance), prints from amy's state animal and state bird series are quite affordable ($20 to $45) and can be ordered online to brighten your walls with a lovely modernized hawaiian monk seal or nene silhouette.

take a peek and do let me know if you discover any favorites of your own.

{photo credit: amy ruppel illustration}