KAUAI REFLECTIONS

KAUAI REFLECTIONS I, II, III

A few months ago I was invited to participate in a group mural exhibition at Viewpoints Gallery in Makawao, Maui, Hawaii.

The title of the exhibit is "2020 - Through the Eyes of the Artist".    We were supplied with wooden panels, 10" x 10", and invited to share our expressions on life during these pandemic times.   Artists from all the Hawaiian islands were invited and the finished panels consequently installed in the form of a continuous mural.    

Since I was fortunate to receive three panels, my work took on a wider scope literally...  Here is the brief statement I wrote to accompany the pieces:

"Here I am, on Kauai, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.  Beauty and peace restoring itself without the onslaught of visitors and no, or very low, virus presence....Yet, we are surrounded by and part of a world filled with fear and upheaval.    How to maintain a balance of belonging and compassion without losing ourselves?"

 Check out the show!  All panels are for sale (also individually!) and the mural will be displayed through January 2021.

http://viewpointsgallerymaui.com/archive_featured/through_the_eyes_of_the_artists/index_through_the_eyes_of_the_artists.html

BLUE JADE BLOOMS IN MY KAUAI GARDEN

My garden here on the garden island of Kauai, has been a true sanctuary and inspiration for me especially during these times of Covid-19.

Being born and raised in The Netherlands, gardening and flowers are in my blood.  My first job as a young girl was in a nursery transplanting little seedlings.    And as an artist, I continue to be drawn back to painting flowers.    They are such metaphors for life and death.  They bring solace and joy.   “Earth laughs through flowers”, said Ralph Waldo Emerson.    “Zeg het met bloemen”, say the Dutch, which translates to “say it through flowers”…

This year, the Dutch tulip farmers have had to destroy or plow under their endless fields of bulbs because of the lack of trade.   Even the world’s most photographed Keukenhof gardens were closed to visitors this year and only visible digitally. 

Not so in my Kauai garden!   Years ago, by chance, I found a blue jade vine at the local Home Depot.   And, to my amazement it took off and loved its spot in my backyard! 

Strongylodon macrobotys, more commonly known as the jade vine, originates in The Phillippines.  It grows from a woody trunk and its vines can grow as long as 18 meters or more.  Needless to say, it keeps me pruning so as not to overtake everything else.   However, the vine is not invasive!    The flowers are an amazing turquoise to emerald to mint green, therefore the name:  Blue Jade.  

Take a look at my latest Blue Jade paintings!

You will find them under the gallery heading:  Blooms of All Kinds.  

 Their titles are:  MY GARDEN PATH, SEEKING THE GOLDEN LINING, JADE DANCE and EDEN.

Available through my website www.liedekebulderart.com or through www.hashisfineartgallery.com

CURRENT

Just wanted to share one of my latest mixed media drawings with you.   I had such fun creating this piece.  It is part of my exhibition "Roots to Wings"  on view at Hashi's Fine Art Gallery in historic Hanapepe town on Kauai through Friday, January 31, 2020.

As always there is some general idea of what I want to express but the fun comes when I prepare the sheet of archival paper or canvas with a wash of bistre, a pigment made from the soot of burned walnut shells.   

Paying close attention to the process, the work begins.... I see a line, a shape or form  and  I add to the piece using different drawing and mark making techniques to tell the story.

Weave your own story as the viewer:   the movement or "current" is upward....

Earthbound, airborne....  

Full Circle

Roots to Wings IV, mixed media on paper. 

20" x 12"

How serendipitous it is for an artist to receive the gift of "full circle" for his or her work.  This happened to me a week ago when I was doing my turn of 'sitting' the gallery and this very alive woman, about my age, I think, walks in and is really touched by my work.    She was a collector from the San Francisco Bay area and we made an instant connection on different levels... Not only did she "get" the work but was moved by it to the point of making a purchase of the last drawing I had finished for this new show "Roots to Wings".

The piece, like most of my art work, tells a story about the cycle of life and transformation.   Here expressed with the movement from earth and darkness and roots to air, light and wings.  From cocoon to butterfly.... not an easy, painless journey....

I felt the joy and reward of experiencing my creative gifts "gone full circle".