Hui Noeau Visual Arts Center

Hui No'eau Visual Arts Center 10X10 Exhibition

Aloha,

One of my favorite places in Upcountry Maui is our community based non-profit Art Center. The Hui No'eau Visual Arts Center offers access to quality classes ,open studios, lectures, exhibitions and community art events.
Ceramics, photography, jewelry making, painting and printmaking are available to folks of the community and visitors alike.

  I use the print studio, which is in the old carriage house of this grand estate,  for classes and  my own  printmaking exploration. This studio is one of my "happy places". The more comfortable I become with the equipment and presses in the studio, the more enjoyable the open studio days become.
I use  the two smaller presses, but have yet to experience the large mechanical press.
I do enjoy taking classes and learning new techniques. However, to work during open studio experimenting with what I have learned, is a treasure.



The gallery space of the main house is so inviting. Large and open, the spacious room with high ceilings and great light creates a perfect environment for art shows. During Opening Night, artists congregate in front of eachother's pieces sharing  techniques and inspiration.  At the "10 X 10 Exhibition"  tonight I asked another printmaker if she would be willing to teach me a technique that she has mastered. 

 The challenge of this particular exhibition was to create 2D and 3D works of art within a very specific  and defined space of 10 inches by 10 inches. 65 pieces were selected out of 158 entries.

A nice additional feature is an interactive space in the back studio where the public will be invited to create their own small works on a 4 x 4 format to display in a rotating exhibition. For a small fee, participants will have access to small surfaces and tools to paint or draw their own creations. Hopefully all the 10X10 pieces in the main body of the show will inspire young and old alike to create something of their own in an even smaller format.

My selected piece for the show, showcases a day in the life of my ducks. I enjoy creating fanciful duck scenes. I watch my ducks and all their silly looks, poses and posturing as they go about being ducks in my yard. The two ducks featured in my piece  are perched on a hill in all their island style finery. 
My carving  usually creates strong lines, so I like embellishing and softening my images with very light torn paper  layered collages. The combination of these two techniques gives me lots of time for reflection and meditation while I work. This inner time is one of the most inviting and important aspects of the creative process. I love my quiet time, and it's fun to see light a hearted response to my creations.
I always look forward to playing in my own studio. Having this sanctuary just steps away from Hale Ho'okipa and my cottage makes me a very happy camper indeed.
Enjoy the Creative Process in whatever possible form it takes. It always adds a deeper level of richness to life.
With Aloha

Hui Printmakers

Aloha Folks,

I had the great fortune to attend a three day wood block print making workshop at the wonderful
 Hui Noeau Visual Arts Center in Makawao that just ended today.
The excitement I felt as this class was drawing near, was off the charts. I was jumping out of my skin because my all time favorite teacher, Casey Newman, was returning to Maui from the mainland for a week of workshops. Casey was my first teacher , and I learned so much from her our first time together. This time was alot of refinement and taking it all a few steps further. My friend, Donette Gene did a beautiful piece.



My usual mode is Japanese water color wood block as I am able to work at home in a small space. This workshop we used oil based ink, and , there is a big challenge in cleaning up with this method.
However, the weather on Maui allows one to take their time in running a print once the block is inked. Water color is a bit of a rush, with no real time to daydream once ink is laid down.
Casey gave me some pointers in improving my carving technique, and I am really happy my lines will be sharper now.  I did a marathon carving session on Monday..11 hours,(!!) with a small break to eat..I have to say, that time really does fly when you are having fun. Any artist will agree, that one of the wonders of total immersion is the ability to loose track of time...Being  so focused without alot of distracting thoughts is a thing of real beauty in my book.
The Printmakers community on Maui is a great bunch of folks. Another very special teacher I had the honor to work with was Claudia Coonon. Claudia is no longer with us, but her art lives on and on. She was very much involved with the Maui Crafts Guild.
If you feel something creative calling you, answer the call, pick up the phone, open the door..even if it takes you from the rest of your life for awhile...it is so worth it to rejuvenate yourself and honor your creative impulses.

Life is good.

With Aloha and a Happy Heart,
Cherie