Oct 23 
liminal
just a quick note to let art lovers know that tonight nu'uanu gallery is hosting the opening reception of liminal, an exhibit of oahu artist andrew rose's delightfully abstract seascapes and tangled glimpses of life beneath the ocean's surface.
Oct 7 
during one of my frequent marathon etsy sessions, i was happy to discover that boston artist jennifer hill of jhill design had recently stocked her shop with limited editions of her kilauea print. the design is part of jennifer's places i have never been series which reminds me of a modern take on vintage souvenir posters in a delightfully abstract point-of-view.
the kilauea design was inspired by the annual hawaiian holiday of friends who returned to the mainland to share tales of pele and that exotic local delight - spam musubi. each destination starts out with daydreams and doodles eventually leading to a little research to sum up the highlights that entice visitors to leave the comfort of home for a faraway land.
the collection adds a gorgeous graphic punch to bare walls so click over to the etsy shop and create your own series to remember your (soon-to-be) travels . . . be it to tahiti or portland!
Oct 2 
sizzle n' splash
chicago-based artist hiroshi ariyama is today's etsy find! born in japan, hiroshi spent part of his childhood in honolulu and later studied printmaking at uh before moving to the midwest to finish his fine arts degree. a few years ago, the former graphic designer & art director began experimenting with fine art screen printing resulting in a buzzworthy new collection, our city, our neighborhood, that documents everyday moments and architectural icons in the windy city.
hidden amongst the chicago cityscapes and lake fronts are images that could easily double as glimpses into island life. i love the saturated color which can be credited to the intricate layers hand screened and based on one of hiroshi's original photographs. many of the prints remind me of looking at a negative in glorious technicolor which is, alas, an experience falling by the wayside in this age of instant digital snaps.
what's your story
distant storm
wheee
the good news is that hiroshi recently began work on a honolulu series which he hopes to show in hawaii when the project is completed!
chicago readers may want to click over to the event page to find upcoming shows while the rest of us can scoop up limited edition, hand pulled original prints (under $200) and archival prints ($25 to $45) of the current collection over in hiroshi's etsy shop.
Sep 25 
ramona + agatha
living in an instant world can sometimes make you dizzy with its round-the-clock access of endless possibilities a mere click or twitter away. take a breather from the digital revolution and revisit a bygone era by sitting down to have your portrait painted by maui's anna feil.
anna first explored portraiture while studying at the savannah college of art & design and, quite befittingly, describes herself as being "fascinated with faces" since childhood. with a colorful expressionist style, the haiku artist captures her subjects via layers of mixed media which adds a welcome modern texture to this old school art form.
portraits first start with a photography session and, midway through the process, clients are invited to sit down and be the artist's muse before the final brush stroke is completed. off island? simply send in a favorite photograph of yourself (or special someone) and anna will take it from there.
there is a three month turnaround so consult your calendar if you plan to time the big reveal for a birthday or anniversary. prices for a custom portrait range from $500 to $2000.
take a peek at the gallery for a little inspiration.
Sep 11 
time to get back to all the goodness that got pushed to the backburner while i waited out jury duty. what ended up being a non-event became such a distraction that i completely spaced out and forgot to post about the dirty laundry exhibit that opened at the nu'uanu gallery last weekend.
artists, illustrators & designers from hawaii to the mainland were invited to explore how one person's dirty shirt is another person's form of expression while connecting the dots to how modern day society needs to rethink the way we casually toss away something that is labeled imperfect.
an important conversation when you consider far too many of us scoop up fast fashion deals without considering the consequences of our purchase on the environment and the abysmal working conditions for the people at the factories that churn out so much of the clothes hanging in our collective closets (on that note, china blue is a must watch for every budget fashionista with a conscience).
in its own way, the value of a stain is how it tells the story of your journey so, with a t-shirt as their canvas, each artist used a mix of mediums from red dirt to popsicle juice to create designs ranging from the conceptual to complete serendipity.
labour
roanne adams
alan konish
your best bet to check out all the designs is at this weekend's t-party which will feature even more limited edition artist designed tees to benefit the boys & girls club of hawaii.
click over to the official dirty laundry flickr page for a peek behind the scenes!
{mahalo jesse & mariko!}
