How to Paint Rain Drops

My gift to you this Holiday Season is a video demo on how to paint rain drops (or Hawaiian snow) on a red hibiscus using watercolors.

This technique can be used on just about any flower. First, finish painting the flower including any shading and highlights. Second, make sure it is dry. Next, start the rain drop technique I demonstrate in the video to create lovely, three dimensional rain drops.


Aloha and Mahalo!

2nd Annual Winter Fine Art Festival

National Tropical Botanical Garden and Women Artists of Kaua‘i’s
2nd Annual Winter Fine Art Festival on NTBG‘s ‘Ohana Day,
Saturday, December 18, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Southshore Visitors Center.

Celebrate the winter holiday season with this free family event featuring the Women Artists of Kaua’i. Stroll through The Meadow where you will find fine art, live music, and delicious Thai food, smoothies, and more offered by Happy Snacks lunch wagon.

Gallery quality work will be available for sale in a variety of styles and mediums including paintings, photography, jewelry, clay, mixed media and more. Artists participating include Helen Turner, Anna Skaradzinska, Millicent Cummings, Lilian de Mello, Leslie Hagen, Patrice Pendarvis, Dava Shepherd, Leslie Tribolet, Marionette Taboniar, and Susi Strom. A portion of the proceeds from the art sales will be donated directly to the Garden.

The musical lineup includes Dr. Matthew Miller on guitar from 9:30-11 a.m., Easy Living Jazz Christmas Concert by Helen Turner and Jeff Iglesia from 11 a.m.-noon, folk music by Millicent Cummings from noon-1:30 p.m., and Mahealani from 2-3 p.m.

NTBG’s Southshore Visitors Center is located across from Spouting Horn at 4425 Lāwa‘i Rd, Po‘ipū. For more information, call the Center at 742-2433, or visit www.womenartistsofkauai.blogspot.com.

National Tropical Botanical Garden is a not-for-profit, non-governmental institution with nearly 2,000 acres of gardens and preserves in Hawai‘i and Florida. Its mission is to enrich life through discovery, scientific research, conservation, and education by perpetuating the survival of plants, ecosystems, and cultural knowledge of tropical regions. NTBG is supported primarily through donations and grants.

The Women Artists of Kaua‘i promotes the works of female artists on the island while raising funds for local charities on Kaua‘i. All works are original, consisting of paintings, prints, photography, drawings, sculptures, mixed-media, metal, glass, fabric and textile art, or digital art.

Silk Painting Class

I recently taught a few silk painting classes and was really impressed with what my students painted. The above photos are all paintings by my students and many of them have never painted on silk before. Silk painting is so much fun, and I really enjoy teaching it. Mahalo to my students for such lovely work!!!!!!

For more information on my classes, please visit: http://www.kauaiartclasses.blogspot.com/

My next silk painting class will be on Friday, December 10 from 11am-2pm at my Waimea, Kauai studio, Painting Paradise.

Aloha and Have a Great Day,
Marionette

Fine Art Festival

Women Artists of Kauai Holiday Fine Art Festival and Fundraiser, Saturday, November 27, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Hanapepe United Church of Christ

Kick off the beginning of the holiday season with a Fine Art Festival and Fundraiser featuring the Women Artists of Kauai. Highlights of the festival include live Hawaiian style music throughout the day by Jeff Iglesia and a special concert by our own Millicent Cummings from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. The HUCC "Lanai Cafe" will be serving baked goods and beverages. Plus, gallery quality work will be available for sale in a variety of styles and mediums including paintings, photography, jewelry, clay, mixed media and more. A portion of the proceeds will go directly to HUCC's Free Community Lunch program offered every Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 pm.

Participating artists include Elizabeth Ferris, Anna Skaradzinska, Kelly Bandalos, Susi Strom, Helen Turner, Millicent Cummings, Dava Shepherd, Marionette Taboniar, Leslie Hagen, Lilian de Mello, and Patrice Pendarvis. Several of the artists will also be demonstrating their creative technique.

Admission to this fun, family event is free. The festival will be located at the Hanapepe United Church of Christ Fellowship Hall which is right next to the Hanapepe library and across the main highway from the Hanapepe fire station.

Oriental Bamboo Sumi-e Style

This is a little video I put together to demonstrate how to use Sumi-e to paint a very simple bamboo composition. I am using a sumi-e brush and watercolor paint on newsprint. Enjoy!

Aloha,
Marionette

Encaustic Art Workshop Taught by Camille Scott

I am so excited to announce that special guest artist and teacher, Camille Scott, will be teaching an Encaustic Art Workshop at my art studio, Painting Paradise in Waimea, Kauai. It will be offered on Saturday, January 8, 2011 from 11am-2pm and the cost is $40.

Encaustic is "an ancient Egyptian art form created by heating colored wax with a small iron and applying ait to a glossy heavy weight paper. Due to the nature of the medium, the outcome is unpredictable which causes exciting results."

In the class "we will use other material as well, tissue paper, paper toweling, threads, and unusual small objects. Students will go away with several greeting cards, small pictures, and the opportunity to add a whole new dimension to their art work."


"Camille is a self taught artist and a native Coloradoan who expresses her love of the state in many of her landscape watercolors. Encaustics is another of her interests, and she has found some very unusual ways to use this exciting medium." Her work can be viewed online at www.camillescottgallery.com and www.encausticreations.com .

Space is limited, so if you would like to sign up for this class, please email Marionette at Marionette@kauai-artist.net .

Aloha!

New 2011 Calendars

My new 2011 Calendars are out and I have three new designs to choose from. These calendars are high-quality and are printed on thick 100lb cover weight paper.

• Each page measures 11" x 8.5"
• Measures 11" x 17" when hung on wall
• Full bleed dynamic color
• 100 lb cover weight high gloss paper, wire-o bound
• January 2011 - December 2011, 2012 preview, US holidays marked

For more products featuring my art please visit: http://www.cafepress.com/KauaiArt .

Aloha,
Marionette

Plein Air Day at Botanical Gardens in Poipu Oct. 16, 2010

Please join me for my "Modern Sumi-e" class on Saturday, October 16, 2010 from 11am-2pm at the beautiful botanical gardens in Poipu. Helen Turner will also be teaching her pastel plein air class. Marlene Czajkowski will be demonstrating her amazing sculpting skills, and Kelly Bandalos and Elizabeth Ferris will be demonstrating plein air painting around the gardens.

Marionette's Art Featured at Josselin's in Poipu

Josselins Tapas Bar and Grill Features Art Works of Marionette Taboniar and Photography Essay by Alyssa Carvalho

September 4, 2010-October 8, 2010

A portion of all proceeds from the art sale will be donated to The Boys and Girls Club.

Josselins is located in the Kukuiula Shopping Center, Poipu, Kauai.

Silk Painting Video Demo

In this video, I am demonstrating the "salt splash" technique on a silk pareo (or sarong).

Aloha and Mahalo,
Marionette

Women Artists of Kaua'i Fine Art Festival & Fundraiser

Women Artists of Kaua'i Fine Art Festival & Fundraiser, Saturday, September 25, 2010, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Church of the Pacific, Princeville

Meet and talk story with the ladies of Women Artists of Kauai at this fun, free, family event. Fine art, prints, gifts, one-of-a-kinds, sculpture, oil paintings, acrylics, photography, mixed media, watercolors and more will be featured as well as painting demonstrations by the artists. All will be for a good cause as a portion of the proceeds will go directly to the church's Outreach Program which includes support of a food pantry and community garden.

Participating artists include: Anna Skaradzinska, Marlene Czajkowski, Lilian de Mello, Helen Turner, Marionette Taboniar, Dava Shepherd, Leslie Tribolet, Susi Strom, Dawn Lundquist and Leslie Hagen.

The festival will be located at the Church of the Pacific in Princeville which is directly across the main highway from Princeville Ranch Stables.

For more info www.womenartistsofkauai.blogspot.com

Sumi-e Kauai Rooster Painting Demo

In this video I am demonstrating a modern Sumi-e style painting technique using Winsor and Newton watercolors on Arches watercolor paper, 140 lb. cold pressed. My goal here is to simplify the design of the rooster using a single brush with no preliminary drawing.

Sumi-e is a very simple and expressionistic painting technique where the artist tries to capture the essence of the subject in just a few strokes (more or less). I often refer to it as the "yoga" of painting since the artist needs to be in a place where mind, body, and spirit can come together to produce a simple, spontaneous piece of art.

In traditional Sumi-e one normally paints with ink often ground using an ink stick and stone. The ink is usually made from pine soot held together with a resin. A bamboo brush made from natural animal hair is then used to paint calligraphy-like strokes on rice paper.

I hope you enjoy this demo and will try your hand at a Sumi-e rooster or come up with your own unique composition!

New Merchandise

I recently added some new images and items to my CafePress Gallery!
I hope you will do some shopping at http://www.cafepress.com/KauaiArt !
Aloha and Have a Great Day!!
Marionette

SUMMER FUNDRAISER FOR THE KAUAI FOOD BANK

Now through August 31, 2010, I will be donating 10% of my Etsy Shop sales to the Kauai Food Bank http://www.kauaifoodbank.org/index.htm The mission of the food bank is to “Provide food for the hungry, respond to emergencies, and eliminate Hunger.” They've seen a 40% increase in demand over last year.

Pictured are some recent paintings that I have added to my Etsy Shop, but I will be donating 10% from any artwork (even custom or commission) purchased through Etsy.





Mahalo Nui Loa for supporting the Kauai Food Bank!
Marionette

Beginning Sketchbook Journaling Workshop

Beginning Sketchbook Journaling
at the National Tropical Botanical Gardens Southshore Visitor Center
Tuesday, June 29, 2010 from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.(lunch break will be from 12:00 to 12:30 p.m.)

Join Kauai artist, Marionette, as she teaches you how to start your own sketchbook journal using the beautiful surroundings of the botanical gardens for inspiration. She will teach you how to use pencil, pen & ink, watercolors, watercolor pencils, and colored pencils to create field sketches of Kauai's flora and fauna. She will also suggest what information to include to make your journal unique, full of your own observations, and a lasting memory of your time on Kauai.

What you should bring: A light weight folding chair, a hat, sunglasses, suntan lotion, water, a sack lunch.

Optional to bring (but recommended): Insect repellent, a digital camera, a raincoat.
The gardens do have bottled water for sale and if you need a folding chair, please let Marionette know in advance so she can provide one.

Cost is $75 per person and includes your own high quality sketchbook journal to take home. Prepayment is required to guarantee your spot in the class.

A portion of the proceeds will benefit the gardens.
Class size is limited to 5 people.
In case of bad weather the class will be canceled and all students will be given a full refund.

For more information or to register, please visit: http://kauaiartclasses.blogspot.com/

Second Annual Summer Fine Art Festival

Join us under the tents at the beautiful gardens in Poipu, Kauai (across from Spouting Horn) for a free, fun and exciting family event.

Visit with local artists Helen Turner, Anna Skaradzinska, Lilian de Mello, Dava Shepherd, Patrice Pendarvis, Elizabeth Ferris, Susan Strom, and Marionette.

Fine Art will be for sale in a variety of mediums such as paintings, photography, mixed media, and more with a portion of the proceeds going directly to the gardens.

Live entertainment will be provided by Anela Saxon, Jeff Iglesia, and Dr. Matthew Miller.

Happy Snacks will be offering their delicious Thai food, smoothies, and other snacks. Shave ice will also be available.

For more info please visit www.womenartistsofkauai.org or www.ntbg.org .

Kauai Fish Tales

Yesterday we finally found some time in our busy schedules to take a day and GO FISHING! My hubby took me to this secret spot on the island of Kauai which is one of his all time favorite fishing and relaxing beaches. We only saw one other person all day, and he was far off in the distance collecting opihi by the rocks.

On Kauai it is pretty difficult to find "whole" seashells as they are usually smashed against the lava rocks and reef by the waves. Here is a closeup of some tiny shells that made it along with a nice piece of beach glass and an opihi shell which is quite common.
These beautiful flowers called pohuehue were found all along the beach. They remind me of morning glories.

Here's my hubby getting our fishing gear ready.

Here he is getting ready to throw his pole out over the rocks and into the reef. This is no easy task!
The first catch of the day by my hubby. This is a rock fish and he called it by it's Hawaiian name, opo kai. I tried to look this up, but couldn't find it. Maybe it's the local name for this kind of fish.

Here's a crab that's seen better days.

And, here I am finally fishing after taking lots of photos. I was trying to catch something in this small pond made by the rocks. I figured, that every time a wave came, it would bring some fish into the pond.

I was right! Another rock fish and it was a little bigger than the one my hubby caught!

Here they are in the bucket. Mine is the larger one :-)

Fishing is such hard work ;-) that I thought I would take a coconut break!

My hubby's second catch of the day was a two foot eel! Yikes! Luckily he was no longer alive when he pulled it in. I guess they can be quite aggressive and bite. Well, this one will go in the freezer, and we will use him for bait on another fishing day.
I actually caught another rock fish just before we left our beach for the day! It was even bigger than my first one! (The one on the right). This is how they looked once they were cleaned up and scaled.
Here they are pan fried crispy with a little salt and pepper! They are bony fish, but had a nice, mild and sweet taste. Very delicious. I think I'll go catch some more!


Hope you have enjoyed this "Slice of Kauai". Aloha from the Garden Island!
Marionette
www.kauai-artist.net