The Latest

This is Lillinoi Bach.  

She lives in Thailand.  

She just turned three years old this October.

Her Daddy adores her.

This is what the painting looked like when I finished.

Of course, since then, it has been signed and sealed.

Something odd happened though, after I sealed the painting.

The kids had been in my studio and the usual brush I use for varnish was not on its usual nail.

I searched and searched but I couldn't find it.

Laying on the window sill was a sponge brush.

I picked it up... "...suppose this will have to do."

And I sealed my painting.

Well, as time passed and the varnish was drying the painting began to grow progressively bluer and bluer.  And the varnish began to crackle and crackle. 

Evidently there had been residual crackle paint from my last project still in eery depths of that innocent looking black sponge.

The painting now looks like it is about a hundred years old.

I was so upset I could hardly sleep.

The next day I was supposed to present it to the father.

But I told him what happened and decided to show him...

He loved it. 

It is now on display at Divine Goods Gallery till Christmas.

He'll be taking it back to Thailand with him after the new year.

So you have any curious interest in seeing what happened to the painting, 

visit Divine Goods at Mango Court.

If you go on a Saturday, you will catch the Christmas Faires that are going on till Christmas.

Henna art, Natural Cosmetics & treatment, Watercolorist Lynette, Craftmaking with Lisa, Jewelry, and more.

And on Saturday 5th from 10:00am - 1:00pm you can make wreaths with MAAZ.

The workshop is $60.00 for all the materials.  These wreaths are true works of art and people fly here from other islands to make them because there are special plants that only grow on the peaks of our mountains that are used for these special Christmas wreaths.

16 years or older- bring your own clippers if you can

everything else is provided.

Happy Thanksgiving!

So Grateful...

I wanna be an Ex-Patriot when I grow up!

Why do ex-patriots seem so much more alive than the rest of us?
Is it because they take nothing for granted?
It is all fresh and new, no matter how ordinary?
Is it because there will always be new words to learn, new expressions to be explained?
Is it because everyone who meets them treats them like some rare & special exotic fascinating novelty just because they have an "accent"?
Are they rebels who get some odd thrilling sensation out of being where they "aren't supposed to be"?
Does it make them feel privileged?
...or perhaps sneaky cuz they are "getting away with it"?

For a while I was trying to make an effort to live where I am at,
through the eyes of a foreigner- trying to appreciate each ordinary tropical plant, flavor, activity, as though it were something unique & truly exciting...
but it isn't as easy as I thought it would be.
It just isn't the same when you have to "try".

It often seems to me that I attract ex-patriots... or am I attracted to them...
well, however that happens I seem to be around them often...
not a terribly difficult achievement on an island in the middle of nowhere, since most anyone who is here, isn't from here.

I think what I am jealous of the most is that they chose to be where they're at.
I think I've been most happy in places that I chose to be. It isn't that those places were better than where I am from but they were selected at will.

I'd love to live in a town where I was one of an impossibly small handfull of Americans. But these days... where would that even be?

Second Place!

At the Coffeefest Art Exhibit I was excited to hear when the announcers took the podium, that Luana Farms won second place for the coffee label competition...
not only because I love Tim & Karen's beautiful family & top notch products
but because
I designed their coffee label!!!!
This was the first time that anyone has entered any of my working designs into that contest so it was really thrilling to place amongst the huge sea of incredibly cool local coffee labels.

Also, cause for great excitement
(not that it hasn't happened before but all the same)
The Kona Coffee & Tea Company (my family's farms)
won FIRST PLACE in the coffee cupping competition!
Malia Ohana (my cousin's personal organic farm) also received an
Honorable Mention.

And Rita Cowell asked if I would like to be in charge of running the Art Competition for next year. I was a little surprised but after a little thought realized that if I bring some of my experience working for Reynolds Gallery's Annual Angel Art Show in Montecito to this art contest I might actually be able to add some nice behind the scenes organization to the event.
At that show artist drop off their entries and the judges come select the winners before the show is even hung & without the artists around, so they get to take their time and not feel like the artists are watching them.
Also that way people coming to check out the show can see which work won, since most of the show-goers don't typically hang around to the very end when winners are announced.
I think it would nice too for the artists not to all have to come and find a place to hang their work, having to move things around as new artists show up with work that has to fit in somewhere... if the director sees it all prior and heads up the hanging- the artists can just come to the event and relax- enjoy the show.
More work for the director but certainly less headache for everyone else.
And for judges I was thinking it would nice to find

A well known Professional Artist
- who could apply a fellow artist's perspective

An Art Professor/Instructor
-who could offer an academic view

A Gallery Owner/Art Dealer
-who might give market-appeal opinion

Perhaps the artists could even be given the judges notes afterwards, so the event could offer some learning/growing advice for them. I know I always wonder if I was close to being on the winning side of things or if I totally bombed, so I can try to do better next time. It is hard to know where (or if) you went wrong when you aren't sure exactly what the judges' criteria had been.
Perhaps to help artists make appropriate submissions the judges criteria could be printed with the entry instructions.

I would also like to set the show where people are aware at entrance that they get to be a part of the judging and can grab a ballot, then after they have flowed through the show be able to spot the vote box easily upon exit.
And I say- let people choose their 1st, 2nd, 3rd favorite choices for 2D & 3D.
Because a lot of show goers are there specifically to see their artist's friend's work and want to be supportive- but if they get two more choices, we would likely see a more impartial list of who did the most audience-pleasing work.

I also think we ought ask for little artist bios & contact info to place beside their work instead of just a nameplate- so that if the artist isn't around, potential buyers can still contact them about purchasing a painting they liked very easily.

Anyhow- just thinking out loud now... but yeah, I think helping organize the show would be fun.

Eating paint

I once read this art instructional book that instructed the reader to

"never eat your paint"

- I guess they figure when times get tough, some starving artists might go to desperate measures to nourish themselves?
...yeah, I thought that was pretty stupid at the time.

Well I just tried to open a particularly awnry watercolor paint tube, resorting to using my teeth to clench the cap and as the cap twisted off a whole glob of blue paint squirted right into my mouth- blauk!
Gross beyond measure! Now can see where the warning might come in handy!

Sometimes artists Do end up eating their paint... however unintentional the gesture might be.

Kona Coffee Stroll

Sorry I don't have any pictures but we had a good day with a constant crowd. Sold lots of prints & postcards and Malia cleaned out her coffee inventory.
I love being right next to the crepe lady- she is just plain awesome!
And Shai had his awesome green Papaya Salad- my buddy John just flew in from Jersey & fed me some yummy malasada-type-donuts. Got to see my fav coffee scientist/author & his beautiful sweetie! We were busy non stop and it was really a good time.

Looking forward to the Keahou Sheraton Hotel Recipe Contest going on tomorrow from 12-4pm in the convention center.
More good food, great coffee, & fun times!

Happy Halloween

After the haunted house, trick-orptreating Kilohama, & Mindi's fab-spook-u-lous Halloween Party- the transformers went to grandpa's house & Mommy & Daddy went to the downtown block party.

This is me & my transformers!
Christian (Mega Tron), Journey (Bumblebee), & Makaio (Optimus Prime)... er, I think that is how it went.