Hawaii Art Show, "ke ala o Pele"

New Works being shown at
Wailoa Center Gallery
Hilo, Hawaii

April 6 - 27, 2007



"Path To Pele"
40x30 oil on canvas, completed 3/07
Solid Koa Frame




"ke ala o Pele"
48x36x2 gallery wrap, oil on canvas, completed 3/07





"Giant Ferns of Lava Tree Park"
48x36x2 gallery wrap, oil on canvas, completed 3/07




"Respect"
40x30x2 gallery wrap, oil on canvas, completed 3/07




"Honor"
48x36x2 gallery wrap, oil on canvas, completed 3/07

Art in Action|Artists Watch|Ala o Pele

Art in Action|Artists Watch|Ala o Pele

Above in a work in progress.


I am making a lot of progress with my 10 paintings done all at once. Yay!

To see photos of my progress check out the blog OK?

http://artistwatch.blogspot.com/

This is a Hawaiiana Series in honor of Merry Monarch Fest.

This is my latest blurb from that blog:

This is ... I 'think' going to be my favorite when done.(image on my blog) It is so far a toss up between this one and one other. I tend to like more edgy paintings rather than things that include landscapes so that is partly why. This is a 30x40 canvas. I LOVE doing giant faces for impact. This is just the first session of face tones, I will probably have at least couple more. The orchids will be done once I am pretty sure of the face.

Laying down really dark colors on a face like this is VERY uncomfortable at first. I fight myself over it. I know it is the right thing to do so I just say to myself... 'do it or you are going to be sorry because it will just have to be repainted to achieve what could have been done in the first place.

I lay down the colors from dark to light. I look for colors. I search out greens, especially. If you look long enough you will see them in the face tones.

Each one of the paintings I will be posting now will be of their first facial tone session. I do not walk away from it or let it dry, I want to be able to blend the colors. I am VERY careful not to muddy the work. This is another good reason for painting so many works at the same time. I can acknowledge that something is finished easier, not overwork. I do not think I will ever paint less than 10 at a time because of this. I also have less nightmares. Painting one at a time keeps me up at night. I can't think of anything else. With 10 going at once small errors are not such a big deal. I know I will get back to them and things will be fine.

I want to add something about studio space. I have been thinking about that. I have done full series in a 500 sq.-ft. duplex before. I painted my Victorian Series in that kitchen. You can imagine how small the kitchen was if the whole place was 500 sq. ft. I will do just about anything to stay by the beach!
I have had large spaces and small spaces... NO EXCUSES not to paint...EVER!


ART IN ACTION BLOG for my new series and "One Woman Show':



"Ala o Pele"



April 2,2007

Wailoa Center

State Building

Hilo, Hawaii





The blog I have created showing the progress of this series is at:





Artist Watch "Ala o Pele"


http://artistwatch.blogspot.com/



I think it would be great if more artists shared art in action... yeah?



Blessings and Aloha to you all!



Kathy


Kathy Ostman-Magnusen

Free Art Gifts:

http://www.kathysart.com/

www.kathysart.com FREE ART GIFTS

Black Henna Tattoos are so great!


While working in a gift store in Hanalei, Hawaii, which is on the island of Kauai I learned the art of Black Henna Tattoo. There is a difference between regular henna and black henna, the most obvious being the color. Red henna produces a lovely color on the skin but does not look like a regular permanent tattoo when done. Black henna resembles a permanent tattoo when applied.

Black henna does not require the sugar water and extra care that red henna does. They both must sit on the skin to stain it for about two to four hours but black henna is easier to apply. Black henna is applied by using a simple bottle with a cone shaped applicator top to the bottle. Black henna easily mixes with water, and is effective in the bottle for about half a day. It is mixed to the consistency of toothpaste in the bottle. I use a bamboo skewer to stir the mixture inside the small plastic bottle. Speaking of toothpaste that is a good product to practice your newly found artwork with. While you may not be ready to make tattoos of exotic lap dancers for a while a simple rose pattern is indeed attainable. Keep it simple for the most part with black henna and you will do fine.

Patterns and black henna can be found online and comes with full directions normally. Test the product as soon as it arrives to make sure the active ingredients are still good. Sometimes the product gets old and becomes ineffective I have found. Beautiful patterns can be found online as well. Keep it very simple at first. Black henna is normally done freehand. Map your pattern out on the skin with dots, that helps a lot. Remember first and foremost that black henna is a stain so mistakes are not acceptable. It will indeed stain your clothes 'forever' so be careful what it touches! This is a good reason for practice! You should practice with black henna on your own self for awhile until you feel confident. OK, no exotic lap dancers unless you are really an artist! A simple rose on the ankle will do.

Above painting is called "Ukulele Girl" oil on canvas, gift items at my Cafe Press Store Online.

http://www.cafepress.com/kathysart