Amy-Lauren’s: A Gallery

No Man's Land

Today’s Painting of the Day is the third I’m showing in a series of new works by Melinda Morey entitled “The Edge”. This painting is an original oil and alkyd tryptic entitled No Man’s Land. Each individual panel measures 18″ x 12″. The artist intended for the piece to be hung close together so that would make the length 36″-37″. The reason for this is that the edges of the center panel are painted red, which reflects off the sides of the other two pieces. The middle piece is slightly shallower so that one can clearly view the sides of the other two paintings. The middle piece has a great deal of texture in the gesso and the flanking pieces have only a minimal amount. No Man’s Land is selling for $4200.

Keeping it Afloat

Today’s Painting of the day is another of Melinda’s Edge series. It is depicting a typical scene at one of Kauai’s gorgeous beaches: a tourist couple with their baby in the water. How do I know it is a tourist couple? The elastic waistband and sunburn gave it away. Melinda has put a slight pink tint on the man’s back and the lady’s shoulders.

The Piece is and original oil and alkyd on wood panel and measures 24″x 30″. The price is $3200.

Floating

I am very excited to have in the gallery a new collection of paintings by Melinda Morey. These pieces were part of a show at the Contemporary Museum on Oahu earlier this year. I am also honored to consider Melinda a dear friend. We got to know each other quite well several years ago when we had art galleries practically next door to one another (hers was “Vintage Aloha”). It was at that time that I developed a deep respect for her talent as an artist. Two years ago Melinda made the difficult decision to close her shop and focus on her paintings and her beautiful son, whose image frequently appears in her work. I was thrilled when she decided to allow me to represent her on Kauai. That decision to focus strictly on painting has certainly paid off with the creation of her newest series of paintings, “At the Edge”.

I feel it best to directly quote the brochure from The Contemporary Museum at First Hawaiian Center to best describe the show:

“At the Edge: New Paintings by Melinda Morey
Having moved from Kauai to New York and Back again, Morey’s recent works are reflections on these seemingly disparate worlds. Yet during a visit to New York last year the artist noted similarities, ‘I realized that the same palpable energy that exists in urban settings is also found at the beach. It is different in some respects, but the whole gamut of human experience exists there too.’ This inherent energy on the street corner and at the shoreline, is an underlying theme in Morey’s newest work.

In one series, Morey captures young men, mostly from the back, on the street and at the beach, ‘I see similarities between surf and hip-hop cultures…there is the public image, the attitude and identifying attire but there is also the activity…This activity is a proving ground for kids, mostly males at the edge of adulthood. I see it as a rite of passage and it fascinates me.’

Morey is equally interested in the feeling of absorption that naturally occurs at the shoreline. In pieces such as, Local Girl in Sand, Hands, and Keeping it Afloat, Morey captures people immersed in the simplest activities of playing with sand, floating with loved ones and watching the ebb and flow of the waves.

Captured unaware by the artist’s camera, Morey’s subjects are painted without the environment directing our focus to the human experience, ‘Ultimately it is a moment experienced by a body, and it is how we inhabit ourselves that interests me.’

From the island of Kauai Melinda Morey received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Arizona in 1998 and her Master of Fine Arts degree from Rutgers University in New Jersey in 2002. She also studied scenic art at the Santa Fe Opera in New Mexico as well as painting and illustration at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. Her work can be found in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art, New York; The Contemporary Museum, Honolulu; and the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts.” -brochure from The Contemporary Museum. Show organized by Curator of Exhibitions Inger Tully.

The painting of the day today is Floating. The subject, which happens to be the artist’s son is floating in the water on a calm day at Waiohi assisted by a pair of green “swimmies”. The piece measures 36″ x 48″ and is an original oil and alkyd on texturized wood panel. The asking price is $7200.

I have been quite behind on keeping up with the blog, I must apologize for this. The new gallery has been overwhelming! We just celebrated our grand reopening in May and had a private blessing ceremony. Whatever that Hawaiian priest did during the blessing worked. I have never been so busy! I just want to take a moment to thank all my loyal clients that have been coming to visit me in Hanapepe all these years, starting when I was in my first (and very tiny) space. I could not have this beautiful gallery now if it wasn’t for all of you. I also want to thank my artists that have stood by me and had faith in the gallery. You are an amazing bunch and I venture to say the most talented in Hawaii. Without further adieu, I will post some before and after photos of the gallery.

This was the exterior of the gallery in December of 2008. Many of you who are familiar with Hanapepe will remember Timespace gallery. The gallery was owned by the late Antonio Arellanes and was a well respected contemporary art gallery.

Old Timespace Gallery in Dec 2008

After several months of scraping, patching, and painting this is what the exterior of the gallery currently looks like:

We are far from finished with renovations. We will next turn our attentions to the front “lawn” and put in a new pathway. I also hope to have a bench built to sit atop the concrete pad that once held the old gas pumps. My building was the first Chrysler dealership on the island, back in Hanapepe’s Heyday. It was also a bakery and a gas and service station. It now makes a pretty great art gallery.

Salt Pond, Low Tide

Emily Miller collectors rejoice! I am so happy to be offering this painting today as I have not had a large Emily Miller painting in ages. I admired this piece at her museum show in 2007 but unfortunately for me it went to another gallery. Emily came down to the gallery Friday night, the evening of the Plein Air show, to take pictures of the event for me (Emily is also a talented photographer and graphic designer. She designs my web site and all my ads. I would be completely hopeless without her) and she brought me the painting.

The piece is entitled Salt Pond, Low Tide. It is and original watercolor measuring 18″x 24″. It comes framed in a koa veneer frame measuring 24″x 30″. The price is $1800.

I am showing two paintings today because I was unable to post paintings yesterday. Both paintings are new studies by Martin Wessler that he plans on using to paint larger paintings. Plein Air artists often begin their large paintings from studies painted on location rather than from photos. They, like the Fench Impressionists, prefer the natural light and shadows one sees while painting on location.

The First is entitled Kee and NaPali…

Kee and NaPali Morning

Kee is the beach that many people refer to as “the end of the road” on Kauai. It is the last beach that one can drive to on the north shore. It is also marks the start of the NaPali coast and the Kalalau Trail. This original oil measures 11″x 14″ (unframed dimensions) and the framed dimensions are 16″x 19″. The frame is a classic black plein air frame and is included with the painting. The price is $1000.

The second painting today is Kalalau Valley…

Kalalau Valley

Kalalau Valley is a beautiful valley on the NaPali Coast. It also marks the end of the Kalalau Trail. The valley is only accessible by boat or the 11 mile trail. Kalalau can be viewed from a lookout point at Kokee State Park. This is where Martin painted this piece. It measures the same as Kee and comes framed the same way. The price is also $1000. The paintings would be beautiful hung togetheror in the same room, and I would be happy to offer a seperate price for the pair.

Along with today’s paintings I am attaching a press release for the Plein Air Painters of Hawaii show that includes a list of artists that will be attending. Visit their website at www.pleinairpaintersofhawaii.com to view the works of the attending artists.——————- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ” Plein Air Painters of Hawaii” to show at the Amy Laurens Gallery,Hanapepe, Kauai on Friday, April17. The 2009 Plein Air Painters of Hawaii Kauai Paint Out is scheduled for April16, 17, 18 and 19.The 4 day long paint out will include a show of completedfresh artwork at * Amy Laurens Gallery* in Hanapepe, Friday April 17th6:00 – 9:00 P.M. Over 20 renowned artists from Kauai, Oahu, Maui, andthe Big Island will be featured. Artists include Saim Caglayan, Jeni Prince,Giorgio, Angela Headley, Annabel Spielman, Cynthia Reidel, Cheri Thorne,Martin Wessler, Jack Murray, Pierre Bouret, Gaye Miller, Jan Bushart,Carole Sarra, Kristen Kofsky, Amy Markham, Leslie Spears, Diane Renchler,Karen Camara, Jan Shaner, Lynne Boyer, Lori Hight, Bea Hunt, and many morewill be painting. To see these beautiful paintings come to life on location you can watch theartists work at the following locations, from 8:00 A.M. throughout the day Thursday, April 16. Waimea Plantation CottagesApril 17. Hanapepe TownApril 18. Poipu area. (Gardens, Kukuiula Harbor, Poipu Beach)April 19. Poipu again or Hanalei depending on weather. For up-to-dated specific location information, please contact Kauai eventcoordinator Angela Headley 808-335-0591. You can also email her for moreinfo at ahIslandArt@hawaii.rr.com. Plein Air Painters of Hawaii (PAPOH) is a non-profit group whose mission isto foster and promote the advancement of plein air painting in Hawaii. Pleinair painting is created outdoors, and provides the artist with differentchallenges and rewards than they would have painting in the studio. Pleinair painting allows the artist to be in the midst of the experience whilethey interpret the fleeting natural light and expressed mood or atmosphereof a location. Hawaii is a rapidly changing place, which affords plein airpainters to capture a little bit of history with each painting. Plein air Painters of Hawaii consists of over 100 members and is the onlyjuried plein air organization in Hawaii. Some of the featured artists areAngela Headley etc. For information on the paint-out or to become a member, please visitwww.PleinAirPaintersOfHawaii.com.– Jan BushartPresident and FounderPlein Air Painters Of Hawaiiwww.pleinairpaintersofhawaii.com(808) 281-3177 Angela Headley Island Art GalleryP.O. Box 3793878 Hanapepe RoadHanapepe, Kauai, HI 96716 ahIslandArt@hawaii.rr.com(808)335-0591(808)335-0750 Fax

I am excited to announce that the gallery will be hosting a plein air show Friday April 17 and Saturday April 18. Members of Plein Air Painters of Hawaii from all across the state will be visiting Kauai April 16-19 to paint various locations on the southwest side of the island. There will be an artist reception during Art Night Friday the 17, and the art will be on display Saturday. I hope to have a list of the participating artists in a few days. Go to
http://www.pleinairpaintersofhawaii.com/ to learn more about the artists.

Today’s Painting of the Day is by Plein Air Painters of Hawaii signature member Martin Wessler

Koloa Morning

This is a new painting by Martin Wessler entitled “Koloa Morning”. Koloa Town is one of Marty’s favorite places to paint. He captures the town’s historic buildings and monkeypod trees like no one else. This piece measures 11″x 14″ and comes framed in a classic gold plein air frame with linen liner. The price is $1100.

North Shore with Canoe

SOLD
Today’s painting is an original miniature by Camile Fontaine. It is the perfect little Hanalei shack on the shore, complete with an outrigger canoe. It is an original acrylic on wood, and it measures 4″x 11″. It is the perfect size to place on a shelf or a table if you are running out of wall space. It comes with its own stand for $150.

Stillscape II

This original painting, Stillscape with Titian’s “Pieta”, is the second piece in a new series by Uri Blayer. The art in the foreground is inspired by Uri’s travels. He even included an image of “Piata” by Titian (c.1480-1576) that he saw in person last summer at the Gallerie dell’Accademia in Venice, Italy. Also if one looks closely at the piece you will see “Self Portrait” by Uri Blayer resting against the rocks behind a piece of driftwood in the lower righthand side of the painting.

The painting is an original oil on canvas and measures 18″x 34″. The price for this piece is $4500. I am so thrilled to have the opportunity to offer this painting in the gallery.

Stillscape I

Today’s painting is the first in a new series of paintings by Uri Blayer. Uri was injured last month in a surfing accident and as a result has limited mobility for the next few months. Because of his injury, he is unable to hike to the remote locations that he is well known for capturing. He has decided to focus his attention on painting still lifes, or rather “still scapes” as one of his collectors named the series. I am extremely excited about this new work and I will be posting more images shortly.

The painting today is entitled Still Scape I. It is an original oil measuring 23″x 28″. The price is $4200.