(read) the fine print

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.

dwr pink party

 

round up your girlfriends and head down to ala moana tomorrow evening for a pink party hosted by design within reach. join local designers kaypee soh of so'mace, callidora jewelry, kealopiko, linda & akemi ueda of paradisus & lauren caldiero of pua jewelry who are joining with dwr for a trunk show to support the kick off of breast cancer awareness month.

a portion of all sales will be donated to the hawaii chapter of the susan g. komen foundation including 100% of the proceeds from the silent auction filled with goodies from coach, chop salon, dwr, paradisus & more. pink drinks and sweets will also be served.

• when: thu, oct 2nd - 6p to 8p
• where: dwr, ala moana

p.s. be sure to click over to dwr and take a peek at the special edition pink classics that are being auctioned off. also, sign-ups are now open to join team dwr at honolulu's race for the cure taking place on sun, oct 19th. to woo you out of bed so early in the am, you will score a dwr tee & duffle bag for doing good!

{mahalo tara!}

portrait of a lady

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.

ko'olau - a true story of kaua'i

the lovely woodblock prints by big island artist caren loebel-fried are one of my favorite things so you can imagine my excitement upon discovering that a stage production in nyc featuring her artwork made its debut last week. the story of ko'olau is being told through japanese-style puppetry created by ny-based local boy tom lee (who is also directing the show) set against projected backdrops based on caren's woodblocks.

this traditional storytelling style combines with live shadow animation and video projections to tell the story of kaluaiko'olau, a 19th century paniolo on kaua'i who resisted being deported to a leper colony and separated from his family after contracting the disease. together they fled to a remote valley where the family lived until the death of ko'olau and his son.

after the ordeal, ko'olau's wife pi'ilani recounted the family's struggles and it is her dramatic tale of love and 'ohana that the production is based on.

since most of us can't make the show, click over to the gallery to take a fascinating peek at the puppets and production design. performance details below for those lucky readers who call new york home:

• show dates: now to sun, oct 5th
• show times: fri/sat - 10p & sun - 5:30p
• where: la mama experimental theatre club, nyc
• tix: $18

let's hope ko'olau makes it way west and across the pacific one day!

p.s. prints of caren's work are available over in her etsy shop.

heart to heart

jeremy from toast recently sent along word announcing the latest favor options to be birthed inside their imaginative workshop. these playful wooden heart stumps can be customized with the "carved" initials of the love birds and filled with a sweet surprise (or order up personalized cotton hankies from the toast team). the empty stumps are 100% biodegradable so guests can toss them into the compost pile for a little cradle to cradle action.

and, come december toast will be rolling out a more budget-friendly option to their popular soda snack line. mini pops will still put a smile on the faces of your guests (especially little ones on the birthday party circuit) but the shrunken size promises to keep the sugar rush to a minimum.

click over to the faq for the fine print.