Island Inspiration

Hawaii is a melting pot of cultures including Hawaiian, Japanese, Filipino, Chinese, Portuguese, just to name a few. All of these cultures mix and take inspiration from one another, but at the heart and center of all of them, is Hawaii.

Hawaii is its own place and its own culture and the feeling of "Aloha" permeates every aspect of life, which may explain why its so easily seen through the local artist's works. On my last visit to Oahu to visit family (2016), I was able to see some new art popping up around local coffee shops and store fronts. It was exciting to see what Hawaiian inspired, pop-culture art had developed into.

Kris Goto - I bought this print from her "Umbrella" series at the Green Room Gallery in Haleiwa, Oahu. I love her clean lines, minimal use of bright colors, and whimsical themes. Visit her website here: http://www.krisgoto.com/

New Wave of Art

Craft fairs are not what they used to be. Vendors are no longer selling their hobbies, they're selling a well-designed, minimalistic, and often irreverent product. Small, young businesses are taking over the market and it's amazing to see the level of quality of their goods and stands. It is this level of presentation that has changed the culture of craft and art fairs. As with all trends, there are certain styles you will see at every stand, but there are many artists that are able to create something new, fun, and imaginative. I'll be posting about any new artists I come across throughout this blog.

I recently went to the Boulder Fall Fest 2016 on Pearl Street. The festival was pretty big this year and featured many artists from the Firefly Handmade Market. These are just a few of many.

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"Colorado Flag Ornaments" by Briana of Sage8Studio. She uses beetle kill or up-cycled timber from Colorado and prints original designs directly on the wood.

Check out her Etsy page: https://www.etsy.com/shop/sage8studio?ref=l2-shopheader-name 

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A "Black Sunburst Ebony Necklace" by Nature Studio 1. They use different combinations of ebony, maple and aluminum to create their jewelry. Although I've seen this artist's work at other festivals, I can't seem to find a website for Nature Studio 1 nor is much info provided on Etsy about the artist who I believe is Jackson A. so hopefully I am properly crediting the artist for his beautiful work.

Check out his Etsy page: https://www.etsy.com/listing/180702168/black-sunburst-ebony-necklace?ref=shop_home_active_34

I first saw these Marimo moss balls at a little shop called, All Its Own. This little Japanese "nano" moss ball is the ideal pet.  All it needs is sunlight and a water change every so often. I love the compact, clean and simple look of these ecosystems and the calming aura it emits. 

https://www.instagram.com/allitsown_shop/
https://www.etsy.com/shop/allitsown?ref=l2-shopheader-name#items

First of Many

Greetings!

I am excited to share with you my first blog post ever. There are a lot of amazing ideas that I stumble across and want to share with the world, but a lot of the times those things end up being forgotten or lost and it's a shame. So instead of loosing these grains of inspirations, I'll share them with you and we can be inspired together. 

So stay tuned for more exciting and beautiful ideas to come!