the return of mr. ushiro

if you call la home or find yourself in so/cal in the next few weeks, hele over to lebasse projects which is hosting a new solo exhibit from maui-born artist edwin ushiro. since his artwork was featured last summer, edwin's fan base has continued to flourish with appearances at comic-con and art amsterdam filling his 2009 schedule.

one of the reasons to crush on edwin's artwork is his fascinating perspective of growing up in hawaii which he continues to explore in softly encompassing the womb. the mixed media moments from childhood skip from ethereal reflections of sweeter memories to reconstructed obake tales that hint of a more ominous side of the islands unfamiliar to tourists on holiday but whispered on playgrounds and across kama'aina campfires since small kid time.

time therefore remained idle

after its given all you wanted

i drift away silently

while hawaii continues to wait for an exhibit of its own, all are welcome to the opening reception tomorrow evening in la which will also feature the work of japanese artist ryuichi ogino. hope to see you there!

• when: sat, sep 12th - 7p to 10p
• where: lebasse projects, 6023 washington blvd, culver city
• show dates: sat, sep 12th to sat, oct 3rd
• gallery hours: wed to sat, 11a to 6p

p.s. click over to daily du jour at 3p pst (12p hst) today for a live streaming interview with edwin.

etsy scout: studio five-0

today's etsy find is handmade in the o.c. by studio five-0 designer anna marie who, after a frustrating search for island home goods with a more modern spin turned up empty, set about designing her own line. an interior design degree from fidm came in handy followed by a move to oahu to study architecture at u.h. where the principles of good design championed by one mentor became especially influential in her work.

it was upon returning to the mainland (with her maui-born hubby) when anna marie realized that affordable modern island decor was practically non-existent. with that discovery, the architect turned designer spent the past two years researching textile design, experimenting with screen printing, and perfecting samples for the launch of studio five-0.

plumeria + torch ginger coasters

while only a handful of designs are currently on offer, the first round from studio five-0 consists of totes and small accessories in addition to lovely reversible coasters ($12/set) printed with water-based inks in a fresh mix of tropical botanicals.

happily, pillows, linens and other home goods plus the introduction of more eco-friendly textiles are also on the drawing board.

until then, click over to studio five-0's etsy shop to take a peek at the debut collection!

introducing lovely clusters

today is usually reserved for etsy finds but instead i wanted to introduce you to lovely clusters, the recently launched, curated indie marketplace hosted by rachel of design lovely (based on maui) and vicki from simply hue. the idea for lovely clusters was the natural evolution of rachel's blog which is devoted to sharing a sweet fix of charming romantic finds (think anthropologie) discovered during her online wanderings.

as etsy and the many other online emporiums become crowded with sellers, it can be quite a time sap to click through page after page of possibilities searching for the perfect gem. luckily for those of us who swoon over pretty little things, lovely clusters edits out all the noise down to the most delightful handmade and vintage treasures. even better, you also have the option to fine tune your search by color or category which is how i found all of these lovely clusters-approved, island-inspired offerings.

designers interested in signing up will want to take a peek at the guidelines for more details. there is a limited complimentary listing plus a more expansive shop listing available for a small monthly fee. it does help to have an online shop, but if you need assistance setting one up, send a note to rachel who just happens to design websites during her day job.

p.s. be sure to click over to the design lovely etsy shop which is stocked with handmade note cards made by rachel.

2009 canstruction challenge

poi pounder : fung associates

nothing this cool ever seems to be happening at pearlridge whenever i find myself wandering around phase one uptown. the honolulu chapter of the american institute of architects recently hosted the fourth annual canstruction competition at the mall filled with spectacular recreations of iconic island objects like spam musubi, shaka signs, and shave ice from the humble canned good.

teams were judged on criteria ranging from use of labels (winner: aloha shirt, below) to structural ingenuity with the overall juror's pick being the fabulous poi pounder (shown above).

big aloha shirt : watg

shave ice : insynergy engineering

hele over to pearlridge before sunday morning to check it out before the official de-canstruction takes place and thousands upon thousands of canned goods make their way to the shelves at the hawaii food bank.

and, for every can you donate by saturday, you get one vote for the people's choice which will be revealed on sunday!

• when: now to sat, aug 29th
• where: center court, pearlridge
• fyi: de-canstruction begins at 11a on sun, aug 30th

p.s. click over to the aia photo gallery to take a peek behind-the-scenes.

{via the hawaii independent}

show & tell: stix flix

temple of blue : mariko merritt

alas, the stix flix show hosted by chinatown boardroom last month has left the gallery walls, but i was delighted to discover prints for sale on the cb blog. the scoop behind the show is that invited local and international artists were asked to put their spin on the iconic surf movie poster and the offerings are printed perfection for any surf shack.

more peeks below . . .

on the crest of the wave : yusuke hanai

beyond beyond : rona bennett

in full trim : heather brown

price tags range from $30 to $650 with a portion of the proceeds donated to accessurf hawaii which helps kama'ainas with disabilities enjoy a fun-filled day in the ocean (btw, the honolulu non-profit needs your kokua to raise $25k by the end of august in hopes of receiving a dollar for dollar match by the pierre and pamela omidyar fund).

most of the above limited and open edition prints (exception: mariko's lovely temple of blue which has sold out) can be purchased on the chinatown boardroom blog as well as stix flix designs by christie shinn, rich richardson & manny pangilinan.

or, hele down to chinatown boardroom and say hello:

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

{mahalo jackie!}