Ok, these are the prettiest mugshots I’ve ever seen. These oil on panel portraits are part of a series, titled ACCUSED, by British artist Sarah Ball. I’m not sure what these trouble-makers did, but I’d probably let all of them go just for lookin’ so darn good!

{I found this work through London’s bo.lee gallery. They’ll be showing Sarah’s work at the London Art Fair in January 2014 and are planning a solo Show for her in May.}

It’s my last post from Maui {insert sad face here}, so I thought I would wrap things up with rainbows, conch shells, and surfboards… ahhh, so many lovely ladies knee-deep in nature. Japanese artist Mayumi Oda is known by many as “the Matisse of Japan” {which I can totally see}, but she has made the Big Island of Hawaii her home since the 1980s… hm, yes, that explains the rainbows, conch shells, and surfboards. Her artwork is in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art (New York, NY), The Museum of Fine Arts (Boston, MA), Yale University Art Gallery (New Haven, CT), Library of Congress (Washington, DC) and many others. She and her family live at Ginger Hill, a farm on the Big Island where she hosts workshops in creativity and self-realization. Amazing.

And with that I’ll say, Mahalo Hawaii, for a beautiful week and for introducing me to so many new-to-me artists ♥

Sally Lundburg is a multi-disciplinary artist based on the Big Island of Hawaii. Her portfolio is full of interesting projects, but it was these hauntingly beautiful interventions in the woods, titled Space Invader, that grabbed me immediately. Here, in Sally’s words, is the description of this project:

“As I walk the land and plan these modifications/adaptations/hybridizations, intertwining own real and imaginary genealogy, I reflect on Hawaii’s history of ecological and social invasion and a cultural landscape that is still shifting today.”

{Thanks so much to Britten Traughber, a photographer based in Hawaii, for sending me a link to Sally’s work}

I love suburban houses. I love Hawaii. I loooove these paintings by Honolulu based artist Brenda Cablayan. This is just such a beautiful, simple, non-touristy view of island life. Sigh… now I want to live in a little white house on a Hawaiian hill ♥

Ahhh, it’s day two of my week in Maui… and the odes to Hawaiian artists continue:

Ah. Mazing. The labels of famous Hawaiian brands, cut meticulously into colorful, paper lace. Jared Yamanuha is the talented artist behind these gorgeous pieces, and I have made it my mission to find all of these labels while I’m here. Clearly, I’m going to have to drink some “Hawaiian Sun” … here I go!

I am in Maui. For real! And so as a nod to this beautiful place, I’ll be posting the work of Hawaiian born, and or based, artists all week. First up, the gorgeous work of California born, Honolulu based artist Pegge Hopper:

Oh my word. Those colors! What I love most… the detailed faces, combined with the flat fields of color that make up the rest of the composition. Amazing! Ok, it’s time to take a cue from these lovely ladies and go lounge somewhere. Now, where did I put my fan?

Oh, that was fun! The opening of The Fig House has come and gone… and it was so much fun! Here’s the pre-party shot of my favorite space at Fig {perfect for evening cocktails – so pretty!!!}

Soooo pretty. Emily Henderson and her right hand-gal Ginny MacDonald did more than an amazing job! I just love it in here. Ok so… my plan had been to not forget that my phone was in my purse, to take lots of photos, and do a full recap… and then I got distracted! BUT, I can give you a few quick snapshots of how the night went down:

The amazing bar, with custom stained glass by Judson Studios:

The super duper beautiful Stephanie Vovas enjoying a “Queen’s English” with one of her stunning photographs in the background. GORGEOUS all around!

And, what party would be complete without a “fromage station”? {That’s one of Nike Schroeder‘s thread pieces behind the “fromage station”}:

Ok, so to be totally clear, this is NOT Nike Schroeder {although she was there – and she’s lovely and funny and great!}… this is a very pretty girl in a purple dress who was having someone take her photo in front of another one of Nike’s beautiful thread sculptures… so I jumped in and asked if I could grab the same shot – oh, so pretty, yes?

Love! You know what else I love? Sold stickers!!!!!!

Oh, now that’s pretty! Now, I would not normally show all of these photos of myself, but thanks to some very good hair and makeup people {I’m talkin to you Aviva and Stephen} I ended up looking better than I ever have , and thought I better document it!

Sigh. It was fun to feel like a movie star for a night! And alllllllll of this was possible thanks to these people:

Thank you so much Emily for bringing me into this project, and for trusting me with the art for these gorgeous teal walls. You are so talented, and truly amazing to watch in action! And Ginny… thank you for handling every little detail – even details that weren’t yours to take care of! Thank goodness for you! And finally,thanks so much to Steve {the owner of Fig House} – I’m so happy you let me hammer nails into your walls. I loved every second of it!

Oh… and one more! Look what happens when you take a cab home with LA photographer Stephanie Vovas {I basically got a Stephanie Vovas portrait, with an iPhone, for FREE in the back of a taxi. Awesome.}

Gah! I love it! Ok, I promise… no more photos of myself… I just can’t believe I got Stephanie to take my picture!

ps. If you happen to be at Fig for an event, and you want to buy some of the art, our gallery girl on the ground is Christine Fuchs. Find her card on the bar while you’re at your event, and she’ll get you set up! {Thanks so much for everything Christine! xo}

Tonight’s the night – opening party at The Fig House {I might just wear my fancy shoes all day! Ok, no… that might really hurt.} So, all week I’ve been showing you all of the paintings, drawings, prints, and collages hanging at Fig, but we also have two totally amazing LA based photographers in the show – Max Wanger and Stephanie Vovas:

Very California, yes? Yes! Ok, time to put my party hat on… let’s do this!

Portraits … shopping carts … portraits. Hm, strangely, an incredibly beautiful combination! Yep, it’s more work from the show at The Fig House:

Oh. I absolutely love these portraits by Bay Area printmaker Ellen Heck. They’re from a series called Forty Fridas… and yes, the other thirty-eight are just as fantastic! A quick break from portraits so that we can see these collage/mixed media shopping carts:

You should see these in person. Stunning!!! They’re the large-scale mixed media work of San Francisco based artist Amy Wilson Faville. I wrote about these two years ago, but seeing them in person – I almost cried a tiny bit. Ok… AND we’re back to portraits:

The only NOT California based artist in the whole show, although she is on the West coast of Canada, Vancouver’s Zoe Pawlak. You might recognize that last shot because we used it as the invite to the opening party. That aqua wall, that pink couch, and Zoe’s lovely lady with a bird on her head… magic! Ok, one more day of sneak peeks to come tomorrow, and then it’s time to party! *Again, all of this work will be for sale at The Fig House – and this is just a snippet of the work, just to tease you!

Ok, another day and a few more artists whose work is hanging at The Fig House for Thursday’s opening! These are the abstract pieces in the group. First Up… the tangly drawings, and bold paintings of San Diego based artist Jaime Derringer:

Love, love, love! Next – colorful canvases covered in bold shapes and striking colors. The work of LA painter, Emily Rickard:

Ah, a lovely compliment to the dark teal walls! And finally, these abstracts are not drawings or paintings. Nope, they’re the colorful, flowing, thread pieces of LA based artist Nike Schroeder:

That first piece is actually an instagram that Emily Henderson took after Nike’s work was installed. GORGEOUS. Ok, three more of our Fig artists coming at you early tomorrow morning {and then I board the plane for LA!!!}

*Note: Not all of the pieces shown here are hanging at Fig… some of them were created especially for the space and haven’t been photographed by the artist yet. Oooh, fresh art!