LOVELY ART SALE

If you are in the LA/Sherman Oaks area on Sunday May 6th, you should contact my friend Parnell Corder. He is having a BLOWOUT SALE. Here are some images of his work which may or may not be part of the sale.

Cleaning out the Flat Files and Studio to make room for new works! 

I'm hosting a : 

STUDIO SALE 

Sunday May 6th

1-4 PM

Framed and Unframed works 

Botanicals, Illustrations and lots of other Beautiful Watercolors

Paintings and Drawings & Cool Stuff I Made

Works of all Sizes and Various Media

Email Parnell at parnellcorder@hotmail.com for address and further details.

HEATHER AND JAMIE

 

Back in January, we had the pleasure of welcoming my old friends Heather Ellis and Jamie Lane to our humble home. Heather and I were pretty much inseparable from the day we met freshman year in college. And I met Jamie when visiting Heather in Austin. They traveled from the windswept plains of Omaha, NE where temps typically fall well below zero this time of year. Needless to say, they were thrilled to be on Maui. They had planned this trip about a year ago, which was before I had a full-time job so I didn't get to spend as much time with them as I originally planned. (pouting sad face here). The first day was clear so we headed upcountry to see some sights, on the way down we stopped into the Hui No'eau Visual Arts Center to see the installation by environmental sculptor Patrick Dougherty. For more info on that visit this page on the Hui's website.

It suddenly dawned on me as we approached this environmental sculpture that Heather must be having kittens over it because it's kind of what she did for her senior installation project in college. Well, the idea of it anyway. She had created a beautiful bed headboard and foot board, of maple wood I think. And she managed to get a small room all to herself in our senior show. I helped her gather up what seemed like tons of sticks and vines from the wilds of Westchester in early spring. For the installation she had taken all the sticks and vines and recreated a woodland scene laced with winter decay and drama with the bed pieces being enveloped by nature. Ok, so, maybe my comparison is a bit of a stretch, but you get the idea.

I took Jamie and Heather by Baby Beach just to check out the unusual landscape there and we spotted a Sea Cucumber undulating and seemingly desperate to get back to the old blue. We debated as to whether to try to help it along. But after some Google via smart phone research we decided not to. Too many potentially disgusting defense mechanisms such as "inverting it's innards out of it anus to appear dead" dissuaded us from interfering with what fate had in store.

Here's H & J at La Perouse Bay where the landscape inspired many photo snaps. Dessert at Cafe O'Lei afterwards. During the week they stayed over on the west side of the island and took part in many activities. Snorkelling trips and whale watches, stargazing cruise and lots of beach time.

Heather and I at the moonscape of Haleakala Summit. It was dang cold!! Then we checked out the upper summit with all the telescopes. Heather and Jamie were both stunned by Maui's night sky as seen from our house. It was early in the moon's cycle, so they were treated to some prime star-gazing. Anyway, the summit scopes reminded me of a trip we took up to a solar telescope in Taos, New Mexico once a long time ago. And where we also visited the home of D.H. Lawrence and sat under a giant pine tree Georgia O'Keefe had painted when she visited him.

I forgot how Heather likes to pretend she's falling off the edge for pictures. So I let out a laugh and snapped this shot.  It had been 5 years since we saw each other. She looks just like she did when we were teenagers.

Yes, the sun shines out of our behinds! ; )

Before boarding the plane home, we took Jamie and Heather to Kanaha Beach Park by the airport to take some deep breaths of island air and say goodbye to Maui. It was extremely windy that day. Lots of windsufers and kite-boarders were out slicing the surf.

Hopefully they'll be back sometime soon!

WE GOT MAIL…

We recently got a goodie box FILLED with an assortment of cards from our friend Kate Lydon of SATURATE. Her hand silkscreened cards are small works of art ... in fact the APPLE print she sent us is signed and numbered. Our kitchen is soon the be the proud recipient of that piece along side the scallions and lettuce we already have framed from Kate.

Her clever cards and notebooks are not only beautiful, but clever. I love how she achieves many colors in one card with careful placement of inks in specific areas of just one screen or how she makes vintage florals modern by screening a grid polka dots on top of them. We love them so much, it's kind of hard to part with them... but we do our part and share the them. We find it very important to send proper thank you notes, birthday cards and cheerful hellos rather than a quick e-mail. There really is nothing like a beautiful and thoughtful card waiting for us in our mailbox.

Mahalo for this box of beauty Kate.

Apple Print.

The Lettuce and Scallions already in the kitchen Gallery.

Her clever cards and notebooks are not only beautiful, but clever. I also love how she achieves many colors in one card with careful placement of inks in specific areas of just one screen or how she makes vintage florals modern by screening a grid polka dots on top of them. We love them so much, it's kind of hard to part with them... but we do our part and share the them. We find it very important to send proper thank you notes, birthday cards and cheerful hellos rather than a quick e-mail. There really is nothing like a beautiful and thoughtful card waiting for us in our mailbox. Mahalo for this box of happiness Kate. 

SUNSET SUNDAY 032711

This week we bring you a sunset of a different nature, one of our favorite paintings from ART MAUI 2011. We'll be posting more of our favorite pieces from that show shortly.

Sunset at Wailea (detail)
Oil on Linen
23″x27″
by
Judith Whitman-Small

SUPER SAVINGS

The end of December we went shopping to our local SAVERS... sister store to Value Village... which I practically lived in back in Indianapolis. John had a coupon with 12 stamps on it that offered up a 30% discount as well as a coupon for $3.00 off any $10.00 purchase and he suggested we go shopping. I was rather shocked at this suggestion and took the offer to go shopping on December 30th, the day before they expired. Man am I glad we did?! We spent what seemed like hours perusing the shelves and when I came across a David Weidman print I rummaged the store one more time in hopes of uncovering another print or something just as fab. As luck would have it, I did find the Denby plate on that second scouring. We bought a few other things we have not pictured here, and nothing of real interest. John took $10.00 worth of merchandise and used his $3.00 off coupon while I took the "high ticket items" and used the 30% off coupon. I love saving money, but I love saving beautiful pieces of art even more. 

 

 

Not exactly who this piece was made by or when. With the honeycomb texture, matte finish and color we couldn't pass it up at $10 with the discount. If anyone knows anything about this piece I'd love to find out more.

This plate is by Denby and is from the ECHO collection which was produced between 1963 + 1974.
It is listed on replacements.com for $39.99 and we got it for $3.50 with the discount. 

This David Weidman print - Flamingos Feeding - almost sent me over the edge. I knew what it was right away as I had been looking at the prints for sale on the artists website. I had also recently been in contact with his daughter Lenna about shipping pieces to Maui. It was $10.50 with the discount and goes for $250 on Weidman's Art website. As exciting as that was, I almost felt I was stealing it... committing some sort of crime if you will. This frame is not the best choice for the print, but maybe if we take the outer gold part off we might be able to reuse the wood portion. Perhaps a new coat of stain or paint might save it. I also sent images in an e-mail to Lenna the minute I got home... and she was delighted we had found the piece and gave it a loving home.

It is signed and numbered 38/400, but had been mounted with double sided tape that was leaving a nasty discolored mark along the top.

I took the print out of the frame and carefully removed the tape and residue by using a bit of steam and an X-acto knife. Now it's just waiting to be reframed... in something better than what it came in... maybe the old re-worked frame?

We had know about David Weidman for sometime but last summer our friend Parnell sent me a link to an article in the LA times about a resurgence in his work. In fact Urban Outfitters had a few pieces they were selling, so when john was in NY I had him pick up these 2 pillows. David Weidman also has a book of his work out that we hope to be adding to our collection soon.

Where do I begin with this piece? At first we picked it up for the obvious reason... the orange and white frame. We didn't really have a love for the charcoal drawing of the poodles by Richard Priest and were going to get rid of it, but it's growing on us. I love his signature and the frame shop label on the back of the frame.

Then there is this prize. We couldn't pass it up at $1.99 plus the discount. John really wanted it for the packaging, but the caddy really is quite useful.

CUCKOO REVUE 2010

Hand crafted ribbon lettering, coconut crafts, hand knit golf club covers and handmade ribbons for Simple Times, John;s parents enjoying the warm January temperatures and new year plantings.

January started out with John's mom and dad coming for a 7 week visit filled with days fishing, sightseeing, and relaxing while I spent the month making projects for Amy Sedaris' new book "Simple Times - Crafts for Poor People".

Visiting the buddha in Lahaina, in the kitchen making fried cinnamon tortilla strips and homemade pata for lasagna and whale watching in Kapalua.

February we were still entertaining John's parents while his mom cooked almost every day. This was the first time they had seen the Humpback Whales which winter here in Hawai'i.

Swiss chard ravioli, a last dinner on Maui at Sansei, staining concrete, Mom, Nick, Heather and Brandon, Whale wtach and a bamboo birthday hike.

March brought the Giordani's 7 week visit to an end and we had about 2 weeks to recoup and take care of a few home improvements before Conn's family came for a 4 week visit.  Lots of whale sightings and bamboo forest hike for John's birthday.

Touring Haleakala's backside and a stop at Kaupo Store and a wall of waterfalls. Waimea Canyon, Glass Beach, Nick conquering his fear of caves and the Kilauea Lighthouse on the 2 day whistle stop tour of Kaua'i.

We were able to introduce Conn's family to new parts of the island like the back side of Haleakala and we even crammed a 2 day trip to Kaua'i right before they departed Maui.

Ideal Bookshelf book submission, sealing the tiles and tile installation on the office lanai, Kekoa's dad "Big Daddy", and the new kitchen tools.

Mid-April found us putting together the "Ideal Bookshelf" for our book collection that was painted for the Curiosity Shoppe / Jane Mount show. We finally got our office lanai tiled, Kekoa's dad became a regular visitor and we have now become quite close to him. The kitchen faired really well this month with the addition of the long desired KitchenAid mixer and the so hard to find scraper. We were also interviewed and featured on the blog Seeds and Fruit by Kathy Epperson... which led to the design of her new book series - Field Trip.

The view from the office window facing East to Hana. The Java Plum and Christmas Berry trees were getting extremely tall so we cut about 15-20 feet off the tops to reveal what we call Hana Twin Peaks.

May found us tending to the yard and garden area that had suffered for almost a year and a half since we started construction on the new office.

Vanilla ice cream in the making and the new book shelves.

May continued to be full of catching up on home related projects. We finally found some bookshelves and had them shipped from IKEA. Then there was the KitchenAid ice cream maker that needed to be tested. 

Yard work, gardening, concrete staining, wore yard work and the actual painting from Jane Mount for the Ideal Book Shelf project.

June saw the purchase of our new and MUCH need laptops. Our old ones were 7 years old and while they still worked... they were slooooooooooow. More attention to the yard and house this month.

Building a better berm, John visits his family in upstate NY and celebrates his parent's 50th anniversary at the Mohonk Mountain House.

July saw John heading back to NY for his parent's 50th Anniversary as well as visiting old friends in the city.. But before he left we had some landscaping work done, traded in the old... ok not old... the other car for a new gray model that better suits our personalities. Conn's high school friend Jenny and her son Brian, who now lives on Kaua'i, visited on their way to and from Indiana. 

Breaking ground on the shed, nursing a Japanese White Eye after it hit the window, building and planting.

August ushered in the building of the new garden shed from the leftovers of the old garden shed we tore down over a year and a half ago. Conn's obsession with birds is never ending and of course there is always something to plant.

Raising walls and the roof ad finishing touches to the shed, The Hawaiian stilts at Kanaha Pond, Big swells  hitting Ho'okipa Beach.

September we were still working on the new shed. We finally made a visit to Kanaha Ponds to view the wintering birds and the big waves starting showing their faces on the north shore. 

Maui County Fair, a Kapalua hike and Star Noodle Birthday dinner, Guri Guri, fresh coat of paint on the shed, the end of the tent and THE NOBLE CHEF EVENT at the Fairmont Kealani.

October found us at the Maui County Fair and doing a hike in Kapalua on Conn's Birthday finished off with a fantastic dinner at Star Noodle. We finally tried Guri Guri, finished the construction of the shed... with a few bits to add on like shelving and a rain catchment system (which will be detailed in an upcoming post). The Winter winds rolled in and finally helped in dismantling the construction tent. The vent for THE NOBLE CHEF / Maui Culinary Academy that Conn designed all the printed collateral and new logo for took place at the end of October and we were lucky enough to be able to attend and partake in the delicious food from around the islands.

Leonard's Bakery and Diamond HEad on Oahu, Simple Times, John on the "set", charred pine tree in Poli Poli Spring State Recreation Area , international treats and Thanksgiving dinner at Hali'imaile General Store. 

November took us to Oahu for 2 days to do some work with several clients including Leonard's Bakery and more importantly - shopping. Simple Times - Crafts for Poor People hits the stands, John landed a set assisting gig for a Lands End catalog shoot, we got a sweet treat delivery fresh from Paris full of chocolates and sugars from dear Deb and her ohana. Thanksgiving was spent hiking Poli Poli Spring State Recreation Area and going out to eat for the easiest Thanksgiving day dinner ever at Hali'imaile General Store.

Mama's Fish House, The first proof of FILED TRIP, a temporary gate in the attempt to keep out wild pigs, more planting, holiday parties, the new troff to be used as water catchment on the shed, sotting the first whales of the season on the north shore and our bamboo and garland holiday "tree"... the other one did not make it's way out of the box in the garage.

December saw our 10 year anniversary and we celebrated by going to Mama's Fish House. We had wild pigs invading the yard and making a few messes, yard work, parties, whale watching and sad holiday decor.

Conn's Design work for 2010: New Logo for Gurman Container + Supply Corporation, The design of the new book, FILED TRIP, The cover design and hand ribbon lettering for SIMPLE TIMES as well as some very fun crafts inside, A new Logo for a new Floral Wholesaler, New + updated Identity for Melissa Foster Cook of Brilliant Life Design, Art Announcements for Parnell Corder, A CV for hair and make-up stylist Giorgio Baroni, and THE NOBLE CHEF 2010 Logo and printed materials ... just to name a few.

John's Design work for 2010:  The new logo and blog design for hapa | hale, Logo re-work and in-store signage for Leonard's Bakery on Oahu, A new blog design for Grace Supports, Identity for Island Endodontics on Oahu, Logo and Flyer design for an iPhone app called BUCKET LINK, the Website Design for a new Recipe site called Asian Supper and Icons for FIT LIFE a division of Rodale... to name a few.

We somehow managed to keep ourselves very busy with new and continuing clients to whom we are very thankful for their business. MAHALO!

Again, we ate really well and enjoyed the adventure of finding new ways to use the fruit and vegetables from our yard...

...despite being so busy, we always take time to stop and enjoy the tropical flowers...

...Conn obsesses over the birds, especially with the purchase of a new telephoto lens and...

...we introduced you to TUESDAY'S TEXTURE, and we plan on bringing you a new weekly post starting next week.

...we broke for rainbows and...

...we always try to stop and enjoy the vibrant light shows from sunrise to sunset.

Please visit us often in 2011. We will continue to chronicle our adventures and discoveries, food and friends, textures and more. And who know what critters will be showing up here next. That's always fun.

To those of you who visited... we loved hearing from you and hope you enjoyed your visits. 

Mahalo and Hau'oli Makahiki Hou!

A hui hou,

c+j