Mainland*Girl: art

Showing posts with label art. Show all posts

Saturday, August 7, 2010

Can-struction for the Food Bank

Here's what dedicated volunteers "can" do: Through Sept 27 donate a canned good to your local foodbank, and let it be a part of an on-going sculpture competition. Art pieces are displayed throughout the mall and created by architects, engineers, designers and students. Exhibits are free to the public.

Friday, August 7, 2009

"First Fridays" - Honolulu's Art Scene

One of my favorite things to do on the island as a local, is attend Honolulu's "First Friday" events. First Fridays are a collaboration of artists, galleries and local residents who come together to celebrate the artistic culture of the city. All galleries and public museum charge free admission, and folks fill the streets (very popular actually) and set aside the whole evening to gather for the area's largest art scene in the revitalized Chinatown district.

I love the arts--and in every medium and form. I love visual arts, the culinary arts, performance art, music and soundscape, media arts...and the art of living itself. As such it is no wonder that I love Honolulu's "First Fridays." I love seeing and knowing that the city has a vibrant, albeit hidden underground art community.

I also enjoy seeing the variety of people who attend the monthly event. It often surprises me to see how many people come out for this event. The celebration begins at 6pm, attracting business professionals coming straight from work. It is a predominately a late-20s to late-40s crowd but because the arts crosses age and generation the event attracts a growing crowd outside this parameter. Attended by mainly local and residents on the islands it's still a hidden find for tourists and visitors.

Mark's Arts Garage often has live art demonstrations that correlate with their monthly changing exhibits. I remember when Jon, Andy and I couldn't get over a deathly glass blowing demonstration--a disaster waiting to happen. Four artists were blowing glass on a tiny sidewalk corner--with poles so long they could either hit an onlooker or each other. That was entertainment in of itself. Mark's hosts sculpture, painting, photograph, multi-media works and has nightly stage performances as well including spoken word among others.

For wine lovers, head to "Hsad" which offers free glasses of wine at each month's events. Just purchase a wine glass for $5 and bring it back every First Friday for a free refill every time. Popular restaurants in the area: Indigo, Epic as well as some SF-like lounges like thirty-nine hotel and those next it to (i think, it's been awhile).

Favorite Galleries: Marks Art Garage {first and last photo}, Chinatown Boardroom {two photos above} (for my Heather Brown art), and my favorite corner one (which I can't think of the name right now).

http://www.firstfridayhawaii.com

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Glass Waves

Just had to post this image...because I almost bought the print for $70. Was fascinated by the glass-like effect of the wave caught at a moment's time near sunset. Gorgeous!

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Favorite Local Inspired Jeweler – Catherine Weitzman

I love the ocean and nature inspired pieces of Catherine Weitzman’s collection. Drawing cues from the organic and oceanic world of Hawaii, this New York artist now has a studio in Kaimuki on Wailea Avenue. She sells her pieces at island boutiques such as Hot Mama maternity store (next to Town restaurant) and other mainland museums and stores.

You can check out her handmade pieces ($125+) at: www.catherineweitzman.com

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Favorite Surf Artist (Heather Brown) & Honolulu “First Fridays”

My favorite local artist is Heather Brown. Brown captures Hawaiian surf life through a two dimensional stained glass style. Her acrylic paintings are bold, active and whimsical. A surfer herself, she captures the day to day activities of beach life. Her paintings often include native flowers, trees, and other recognizable landmarks.

The first time I saw her work, I was strolling through art galleries at the monthly “First Friday,” where the streets are packed with strolling crowds and the shops, lounges and stores stay open late in the gentrified Chinatown artist district.

Brown’s canvas oils were hanging on the wall of an obscure shop. I was so struck by the colors and designs of her work that I was planning to buy a painting on the spot. They didn’t have a canvas of the image I wanted, however, and I swayed back and forth on whether or not I wanted to purchase a print. With friends waiting for me outside, I decided to leave Heather Brown behind and enjoy the rest of the evening—including a live demonstrations of five glass blowers churning hot soon-to-be vases on a tiny street corner.

It was ridiculously dangerous to have five adults twirling hot molten on long metal rods within a small roped off area. As we shook our heads in disbelief, we knew there were looming accidents just waiting to happen. Indeed the glass storefront of Mark’s Art Gallery shattered from the heat of the molten glass. Oh well, that’s Hawaii for you. Easy come, easy go. Do whateva’ until something go broke.

[for background on Heather Brown click on my posted "comment" to this entry]

Monday, December 29, 2008

town - Restaurant Review

town, with a lower case “t,” was one of the first restaurants I loved when I first moved to to the island. After having the luxury of choosing between numerous organic eateries in California, I found it hard to find a place on Oahu that served local, fresh, and organic dishes prepared with simplicity. Moreover, town lives out what it states it values--the coaster for my glass of water is a cut of from one of their old menus.

In a minimalist urban space, town features silver tables, subtle gray walls, espresso stained wooden chairs, modern wood lamp fixtures, orange chair cushions and dark browh draperies.

The menu is always a little tough to navigate: the font is in an old typewriter style, and the listing on the menu is well…“organic” to put it nicely… or “un-orderly” if you’re in a rush. It’s hard to distinguish what is designated as appetizer, entrée and dessert--but that’s the philosophical point, right?

On the menu: Panino of local mushrooms, tatsoi, caramelized onion, radish, boursin ($8.50). I usually get this, not sure why. It’s a sandwich put in a panini press served with organic greens. Not a stand-out, but healthy and decent.

Today I ordered the Penne—grilled chicken, arugula pesto, tomato, ricotta salata ($12.50). The pasta is cooked al dente, just right, the pesto not too strong, with diced tomato and cheese giving it a subtle spark. The chicken is lightly floured and spiced with coriander. Again, not too over powering and complimentary to the pasta. This is one of the more interesting dishes I’ve had here.

The “hand-cut pasta” with prosciutto ragu sounds interesting ($14.50). The last entrée on the menu (yes, they keep it simple) is the Kulana Short Ribs with argugula, fontina cheese on a baguette ($10.50)

I appreciate that town supports local artists who share values. Three weeks ago the art work on the walls changed. Dave Homey’s black and white underwater photography is framed in his sister’s “Found Wood” custom frames. Recycled Glass Art is represented by Crystal Thornburg.

I love town’s motto: “Local first, organic whenever possible, with Aloha always.”

(also, there are three power outlets and free WiFi. I’m happy to be able to blog as I enjoy my lunch.)

town
3435 Waialae Avenue #103
Honolulu, HI 96816
808.735.5900

Friday, December 26, 2008

Favorite Christmas E-Card = Entheos

Winner (in my book) for the 2008 Most Creative E-Card is from...
(drum roll, please)...Entheos Interactive, LLC!

Click on this link to enjoy the fun:

http://www.entheos-i.com/christmas08

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

butterflies & dreams

I had a vivid dream while I was in Italy and a part-two extension when I arrived in Hawaii...it had to do with butterfiles and life.

I love this design. It's in my favorite color (I went from loving sage green to orange over the past couple years), there are symbolic butterflies everywhere, the girl can pass for an Asian American, and her wear and sunshine above looks as if she lives in Hawaii. There is a confident boldness in her stance and the graphics have a contemporary feel. When I first came to Hawaii and saw this image I said "wow, this is totally me!" I spent months re-looking for this image (by Vector Designs) and am glad I came across it today.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Cartoon Network - Hakjoon

My friend Hakjoon is an amazing professional illustrator who works for the Cartoon Network (Batman, Teen Titans, etc). I had never heard of the CN back in the day but made sure to watch my dose of 'toons after meeting him. It was so cool to see his work on TV and have the chance to ask him questions about the design process and how he came up with different ideas.

You can see the variety of Hak's work--from MTV music videos, cartoon illustrations, to church designs at:

http://be4be4.blogspot.com/2007_02_01_archive.html

Hak is also entrepreneurial, working on projects with Google and starting up his own company which intersects media, gaming, and social media. His team created Google's Lively--online rooms and avatars. (A whole new world for me). Congrats on this technology and design, Hak--quite impressive!

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Film - Gary Gets Married

Gary is a mild mannered, introspective artist-type, a UCI grad I knew from my InterVarsity days. A few years ago a handful of us flew to Chicago to attend the Willow Creek Leadership Conference. It was an un-leadership leadership conference where we all took an oath of silence to keep the Chicago-week under wraps. Had the church pastor not come down with a cold leaving us to our own demise, it would have been a very serious, ministry minded, prayerful trip of debriefing and strategic planning. As it turned out, we left our leadership hats in LA and had so much fun exploring the Windy City; it was truly a memorable bonding experience.

I lost touch with Gary but was glad to hear that he was married two February's ago. In his own Gary-style and humor he created the un-wedding wedding video to show at his reception. Check it out:

http://be4be4.blogspot.com/2006_03_01_archive.html

I noticed that Gary included some of his self portraits from our Chicago trip in the film. Way cool!

Famous Photographers

I attended just one of Foresberg's $200 photography class at the UH and knew within the hour that I needed to get a refund. It was horrible. Perhaps the instructor was a good artist, but she was not a good teacher of art. Her mind ran in abstract circles that were un-followable. She could not teach, explain, and break down terms, was administratively disorganized, and painfully struggled to facilitate a class discussion. By the break many students were frustrated and I knew that I had to drop the class. What did come out of attending the first class was a list of these famous photographers. I figure at some point I should study them for each of their contributions to the field:

I did use Nikki Lee's work in my Asian American Studies course when I devoted a lecture to the role of Art and Artists in building, sustaining and empowering this panethnic community.

Sunday, September 28, 2008

T-Shirts with a Statement

Zazzle.com offers political and alternative T-shirt statements created by people like you and I. Just upload your image, sell it, or buy it online.

One t-shirt reads: (front) "How many racists does it take to screw in a light bulb?" (back) N/A They like to be kept in the dark."

Another T-shirt mocks religion and politics featuring Obama as Jesus: http://www.zazzle.com/ecce_homo_redux_shirt-235566837004469014

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Favorite Wine Bar & Art

A great combination…my favorite wine bar and contemporary art!

Tonight Amuse (wine bar) presents “Bound For Greatness” an Art-Music-Fashion show featuring live photography, live mural collaborations, spoken word, music, art displays and fashion shows from 41 independent artists from around the U.S. I can't wait!

Saturday, September 6^th; 8pm-midnight; Admission: $7

About Amuse Wine Bar:

One of my favorite places in Honolulu, this dim lit contemporary space allows customers to fill their own glasses with wines from around the world. Just put some money on the monetary

plastic cards and ask for a red or white wine glass (or both), and self select your wine choice with the push of a button. Wines selections are rotated on a monthly basis. You can even purchase your favorite bottle from the cellar. The food (mainly appetizers and desserts) is excellent as the artfully presented dishes are prepared by the chefs from the delectable Stage restaurant located next door.

Be In the Know:
Sundays and Thursdays: get 50% off your wine card purchase (4:30-7:30pm)
Wednesday and Fridays: Live Music (8-10pm)
Monthly: Various art events and performances

Location
Where: Honolulu Design Center, 1250 Kapiolani Blvd, 2nd Floor (Free Parking)
Hours: Monday-Saturday, opens at 5pm
808.956.1250
www.amusewinebar.com

Friday, August 22, 2008

Made in Hawaii Festival

Hundreds of homemade Hawaii themed items lured shoppers from around the island: Rice bag boxers, clay leis, hand towel "desserts", sushi pillows, and washi lamps were some of the items for sale. The yearly event at the Blaisdel Center allows island-only artists and entrepreneurs the chance to sell their regional products. Admission is $3 and the event usually draws an average of 65,000 people.

Sunday, August 17, 2008

Meditation - "Finding Peace"

I found this little 4x4" Hallmark gift book called "Finding Peace." Artful watercolor marks fill each page as short inscriptions guides this meditative thought. Below, I use works from artist Jon Schueler:

"The Lord was not heard in the earthquake or the fire, but in the still small voice." --1 Kings 19:11-12

Go to that place today.
You know,
that one place
where everything else
just doesn't matter anymore--

the traffic, the deadlines,
the streets, the demands,
all the hassles of doing life.
in a world like ours.

Go to that quiet place.
It doesn't have to be for long--
Just long enough
to breathe,
to be.

Give yourself the gift
of time,
of space,
of freedom from distractions.

Go there.
Remember.
Listen.
Look.
Listen some more.

And in that still, small whisper,
Hear the Lord...
and know that you are loved.

The art pieces are by Jon Schueler, whose ability to create mood through the paint brush was a source of inspiration for my own work last fall. His book is titled, "To The North."

Thursday, August 14, 2008

"Slip of the Tongue" video - Asian American Beauty

I showed this excellent 3.5 minute video in the Asian American Studies course I taught. Using the spoken word, it cleverly speaks to issues of beauty, gender, sexuality, and ethnicity in Asian America.