Juried Art Shows and Exhibitions

The ‘Necessary Evil’

Nothing quite compares to the juried art show or exhibition for inviting one or several people to pass judgment on one’s work.  Not only does the artist willingly subject his or her artwork to being accepted or rejected, but also willingly places ‘a significant piece of themselves’ on the line to fall subject to the same fate.  In general, the majority of artists entering juried events tend to be “emerging” artists—i.e. artists who are seriously pursuing their art as a career and are looking for venues to get their work ‘seen and known’.  It is hoped that given enough exposure, a ‘fan’ base for the artist’s work is developed enabling the artist to in turn, attain the degree of success he or she is seeking.  Because emerging artists are often also “unknown” artists, galleries tend to be less than eager to take them on (possibly at the expense of having to displace their “established” artists or “earners”), leaving few opportunities other than the juried events for artists to display their work—providing it gets accepted.

Encouragement to Get Through the Rejection

The more an artist perceives a juried event playing a role in the progression of his or her career, the more difficult it can be for the artist to overcome the setback of having his or her work rejected.  As an “emerging” artist who more than often winds up in the rejection category, I’d like to offer the following words of encouragement to others who from time-to-time may find themselves in the same situation (hopefully not as often as me): (1) Enjoy and have joy in what you do and create as an artist (2) View a juried event simply as another opportunity to gain exposure for your work—if you miss this one, there’s always another right around the corner (3) Artwork not accepted into an event doesn’t necessarily mean it is artwork without quality, merit or worth (4) Artwork deemed to be ‘good’ or ‘bad’, ‘in’ or ‘out’, etc., is based on the subjectivity of the viewer—the juror is just another viewer (5) Always be confident in your work (6) Get over it…keep moving forward!!

Thanks for joining us on…Art Talk.

The Current Economic/Tuorism Crisis and Hawaii’s Art Community

Shouldering Some of the Blame

The current economic crisis and decline in tourism has caused an economic ‘pinch’ to be felt by many of Hawaii’s businesses.  Not immune to the fallout, the art community is experiencing the same pinch (particularly the art galleries and artists).  It is easy and convenient to attribute the art community’s economic woes solely on explanations such as, “there are fewer visitors coming to Hawaii” and “overall, people are spending less”.  However, doing so only serves to divert attention away from the role the art community itself has and continues to play in bringing about its current distress.  The failure to explore, develop and promote diversity in the art market has left the community economically vulnerable to the fallout resulting from the tourist industry’s downward trends, and other than ‘riding it out’, has left the community with few economic options to fall back on until these trends are reversed.  There is no doubt Hawaii will rebound from the current crisis and when it does, the art community can ill-afford a continuation of the current “business as usual” approach to the art market.

A Glimpse at the Way Out

It is almost a certainty that there will continue to be a demand for ‘Hawaii themed’ art in the foreseeable future.  However, ‘artistic diversity’ will be key in helping to ensure that the overall art market remains vibrant, successful and healthy in both good times and bad.  For a host of reasons, the richness and variety of artwork offered by Hawaii’s ‘other’ artists must be made part of the ‘mainstream’ scene and not relegated as it currently is, to ‘limited exposure’ opportunities such as juried/open shows, arts and crafts fairs, etc.  Yes, setting in motion such a transition will require desire, vision, time, and a unified effort within the art community—i.e. gallery owners, artists, various art associations and organizations, etc. must be willing to sit together in order to examine and discuss the issues, as well as be willing to work together to formulate and implement a ‘way’ into the future.  However, doing nothing means more of the same woes or worse.  Now is the time to act…how the current situation is addressed will influence how much of a ‘pinch’ is felt in the future when, not if, tourism and the economy are once again on the decline.

www.mauricehutchinson.com

An Interview With Artist Margo Kessler Cook

Recently, I was very fortunate to have had the opportunity to meet with and interview a truly talented local artist. While over coffee (of course), Margo Kessler Cook agreed to share with me some fascinating insights about herself, her art and life as an artist in Hawaii. Margo was gracious enough to allow me to share with you the highlights of the conversation we had. First though, a quick admin note: in the paragraphs below, the ‘italicized’ font represents my questions, and the ‘normal’ font represents Margo’s comments. With that taken care of, let’s get started!

I know you’re not a native of Hawaii, where are you originally from, and how long have you lived in Hawaii? Originally, I’m from Western Pennsylvania about 35 miles east of Pittsburgh, a place called Latrobe—home of Arnold Palmer, Rolling Rock Beer, Mr. Rogers, training camp for the Pittsburgh Steelers, place of the first scheduled airmail pickup and birthplace of the ‘Banana Split’. I left Latrobe as a teenager and moved to Southern California where I spent most of my life. In 1974 I left California (via sailboat) for Hawaii, and have lived here ever since (except for a few years in California and Washington State).

How long have you been an artist? My whole life…I was always doing something artistic as far back as I can remember. Unfortunately though like so many other people, I went off doing ‘other things’ in my life i.e. mostly business administrative work, as well as partnering with my husband to establish and operate our own custom woodworking business (which we did for 30 years). All this took me away from pursuing my true passion which is art. However, for the past three years I’ve committed myself totally to my art, and I’ve discovered that nothing has given me the strong sense of personal satisfaction that I feel as when I’m pursuing what has been in my heart all along—to be an ARTIST. It’s important for me to finally know what it is I’m supposed to be doing.

What is/are your art discipline/disciplines, and what medium/mediums do you work in? I do work in Printmaking, Photography, Metal Embossing/Repoussé, Digital Art, Fabric Design and Bronze Casting. However, printmaking is probably my first love because there are so many exciting materials, methods and pieces of equipment to use–endless possibilities. There are different forms of printmaking and I concentrate on Intaglio. The Intaglio process includes engraving, mezzotint, etching and dry point. I do mostly etching, dry point and aquatint. In brief without going into a lot of technical details, ‘Intaglio’ is taken from the Italian meaning to ‘cut’ below the surface. You start out with a plate (zinc or copper). An acid-resistant ground is then brushed onto the plate’s surface. You then take your drawing and scratch through the ground just enough to expose the metal. From there, you place it into the correct acid bath to etch in the lines. The time it is left in the bath depends on how deep you want your lines etched. After the acid bath, you remove the ground. Next, you ink the plate and then wipe the plate with a tarlatan (a cloth which looks and feels like starched cheesecloth) leaving ink in the etched lines. Meanwhile, the paper you have soaked in water is blotted to remove the excess. The plate is then placed on the press bed, and the paper is placed on the inked plate. Both are run through the press. Your print is then pulled. It’s rather quite exciting to see the end results.

Are there certain themes, motifs, styles etc. that you incorporate into your work? Most definitely—in all my work I try to incorporate three elements: organic, sensual and abstract.

What has been the biggest influence on your art and from where do you draw your inspiration? From both Nature and the sea. It’s hard not to be inspired by either. I spent ten years of my life living aboard our 48′ sailboat and sailing extensively in Hawaii and mainland waters. As a licensed scuba diver, I’m able to spend time below the water’s surface affording me a unique opportunity to see some truly amazing things. I also hike and swim a lot, and both activities keep me constantly ‘looking for and studying’ various shapes, designs, colors—an endless source of things for my eyes to drink-in. My dad always took my brother and I on field trips to study nature, from there I never stopped. Hopefully what I do reflects that and those elements.

Do you have any favorite artists? Yes, my favorite artist is Albrecht Dürer, a 15-16th Century German painter and printmaker. His work has always been a source of inspiration to me. Some of my favorite works of his are: “Melencolia I”, “Adam and Eve” and “St. Jerome In His Study”.

Do you like working in one particular discipline/medium more than the others? Yes and no. I need a variety of stimuli because my mind is always creating. I go from one to the other (art discipline) depending on my mood. Although they each have their own unique inner rewards for me, I get a great sense of satisfaction from all of the disciplines.

By your own definition, do you consider yourself more of an art ‘hobbyist’, or do you consider yourself to be a ‘serious’ artist? I’m defiantly not a ‘hobbyist’ and take my art very seriously—I’m totally committed and dedicate at least 6-8 hours a day or longer to my art depending on the project I’m involved with. Because I believe my artistic abilities are a gift that I have been given, I feel a strong need and desire to always move forward and apply this gift—I don’t want to waste time. In addition to spending many hours on my computer, going on photo shoots and sketching, I dedicate a lot of my time to working in the studio which continues to be a rewarding experience for me on many levels. I’ve always felt that true art should show skill, intelligence, knowledge, and good craftsmanship; as well as exhibit both unity and complexity. Since I still feel I have so much to learn about the relationship between these areas and art, I dedicate a considerable amount of time to furthering my understanding of this relationship through self-education.

What goals, if any, have you set for yourself with regards to your artwork? I believe it is important for all of us to have goals, and I find that I’m continually setting them for myself. Regarding my artwork, one of my goals is to get some of my designs onto fabric. My biggest goal, like many artists I’m sure, is to eventually have my own studio and gallery. I’d also like to be in a position to help other artists, particularly ‘emerging’ artists. Sometimes when I talk with emerging artists I find they lack the requisite business acumen required in our line of work, particularly the marketing aspect. Marketing is very important so another goal for me is to find new ways to help promote emerging/local artists.

How would you define ‘artistic success’ for Margo? For me to succeed is to realize a goal. One of my successes is my art. The simple realization that I have the time to do my art is a success in itself. I have been blessed by being able to sell some of my art, as well as by having been able to participate in several art shows. Additionally, one of my favorite musicians, Chris Botti (world renowned jazz trumpet player) owns one of my works; I have another work in the executive office of the Moana Surfrider Hotel here in Waikiki; and I was commissioned do incorporate my metal work into a piece of furniture—I consider all of these to be artistic successes for me.

How easy/difficult has it been for you to integrate your artwork into the Hawaii/Honolulu ‘art scene’? Always a challenge for any emerging artist—it takes time, patience and commitment. The rejection I had gone through when I entered juried art shows was at times difficult to deal with and at first, it hurt and made me want to give up. However, I’m not a quitter by nature and I’ve just kept at it entering as many shows as I could—good experiences as I reflect upon those times. It took me three years to get work accepted into the Honolulu Printmakers show and I finally made it in with two of my prints. There are some exceptionally fine printmakers within the printmaking community, and I have learned from many in the studio who were willing to share their craft with me.

With regards to the Hawaii/Honolulu ‘art scene’, how would you characterize your past, present and future opportunities to get your work ‘out there’ to be seen? I think difficult because we don’t have many places to showcase our work. Additionally, galleries seem to focus a lot on ‘Hawaiiana’ themed art, so for those of us who don’t do ‘Hawaiiana’, we are that much more limited in our opportunities. Juried art shows seem to be our only venues, however, if you don’t get into a show, where do you go?

Have there been any obstacles for you/your artwork which were or are still particularly difficult to overcome? Yes: having enough time to accomplish all that I want to; having more venues available to show my work at; dealing with rejection; and figuring out how to get by when my muse takes a vacation!

We all know the ‘artists’ road’ can be and often is a bumpy one at best. Do you have any special support mechanisms you rely upon to get you through the rough spots? I pray a lot for direction. I also have a grateful heart and take comfort in knowing that what I have been given and do is a gift from above. Of course, I have the unwavering support from a loving husband, and family and friends who cheer me on. Additionally, I’ve found that by sometimes taking time away from art, it creates the need to go back to it, and often it is with renewed energy and creativity—sort of a ‘removing oneself from the need to produce in order to gain a better perspective’ kind of thing.

What has been a career highlight for you as an artist in Hawaii? Getting into various juried shows like the Honolulu Printmakers 80th Annual Exhibition, the Hawaii Craftsmen 40th Statewide Annual Exhibition and the AHA (Association of Hawaii Artists) 38th Annual Aloha Show.

What can we look forward to from you in the future? My own ‘one woman’ show, “Organically Grown” A Varietal Art Showing, at the Cathedral Gallery at 1184 Bishop Street (Sep 5-30); participation in the Honolulu Printmakers Benefit, “A Landscape of Prints: A Green Event” (Oct 4th, 5-7 P.M.); participation in the D.A.S.H. (Digital Art Society of Hawaii) exhibit, “Dot-Dot-Dash”, at the Gallery on the Pali (Nov/Dec timeframe); and participation in the Honolulu Printmakers “Impression Sale” and “A Portfolio of Prints about Iolani Palace” (Nov 28-30). I will also be submitting work for the upcoming AHA (Association of Hawaii Artists) “Contemporary Show”, and two upcoming Hawaii Craftsmen shows.

With the exception of receiving instruction in the mechanical processes/skills involved in printmaking and bronze casting, Margo is self-taught in all the other aspects of her numerous art disciplines. With recognition of her highly detailed work and artistic expression growing rapidly, she is truly one of Hawaii’s emerging artists to keep an eye on. If you ever have the opportunity to see any of her work (especially her copper work which is my favorite), seize it! If you would like to contact Margo, she can be reached by phone at (808) 922-0413; or by e-mail: cooknhawaii@yahoo.com. Thanks for stopping by and until next time, this is…Art Talk.

The ‘Yes!’ Dynamic

As an artist (an ‘emerging artist’ in particular), the road to attaining recognition in one’s artistic discipline and realizing even a modest level of success can be, and often is, a difficult one at best. However, it’s not always about getting one’s work into a particular juried exhibition or gallery showing, nor is it always about marketing and selling one’s work. Sometimes, it’s just about the pure satisfaction and joy felt by both the artist and the viewer alike when an artist’s work is shown to and appreciated by others—it’s the ‘Yes!’ dynamic as I like to call it, and it somehow makes all the time and effort spent in creating a work of art seem worthwhile and serves as motivation for the artist to continue on and create another. Unfortunately, I have found as one gets caught up in the grind of trying to ‘make it’ as an artist, whether consciously or as an unintended consequence, it’s all too easy to downplay, discount or even loose sight of the ‘Yes!’ dynamic if one isn’t careful.

It took my participation in a very special event to realize just how removed I had become from the ‘Yes!’ experience. This past Tuesday at the invitation of Mr. Laad Edwards, I gave a presentation of my artwork to an outstanding group of 25 students and faculty at the Hawaii Center for the Deaf and the Blind. I’ll admit that in the days leading up to the presentation and just prior to my opening remarks, I was a bit apprehensive and worried as to how my work would be received—after all, aren’t students known to be fearless and quite candid in their comments and questions? As the students began to enter the Center’s Library, I studied their faces hoping to get a ‘read’ as to how things were going to go, but I couldn’t judge from their expressions one way or the other. After they had all taken their seats, I took a couple of deep breathes and thought to myself, “you constantly deal with gallery owners, interior decorators, shop owners and art ‘critics’ of all stripes, how bad do you think this is going to be?” I swallowed a nervous swallow and at that very instant, Mr. Edwards had finished introducing me to the students–now it was ‘show time’!

No sooner had I displayed my first painting and started speaking about it, the students sprang to life with excitement and a barrage of questions. At that moment I knew this was going to be a lot of fun and began to wonder if there was going to be enough time to get through everything I had brought with me. As I continued with the presentation, their facial expressions, verbal acknowledgements, comments and questions all indicated to me that they were experiencing my work on an open and purely aesthetic level–a truly refreshing thing for me to witness and experience. The students were quite engaging and displayed an appreciation for art which was quite sophisticated yet totally devoid of any bias or predisposition as to medium, style, thematic content, commercial value etc. They weren’t looking for hidden meanings in the work, just experiencing to their fullest the arrangement of colors, shapes and textures before them. As the majority of my work tends to be more abstract than representational, the most enjoyable part of the presentation for me was listening to their responses as I displayed each work and asked them what they saw in it—their replies were quite imaginative and even caused me to look at my work in new ways. As my presentation came to a close, I was amazed at how quickly the time had passed and felt sad that I had no more artwork to display. As I thanked the students and Mr. Edwards for inviting me to the Center, I felt truly blessed and touched to have witnessed the happiness my artwork had brought them. Thanks to the students and their appreciation for my work, I was once again able to experience the ‘Yes!’ dynamic and felt fully charged and ready to continue my travels along the bumpy road artists often do.

The above serves to illustrate a point we sometimes loose sight of and never should. After all, when you take away the ‘fame and fortune’ aspects (figuratively speaking), isn’t the ‘Yes!’ dynamic at the very core of why we do what we do as artists? So, if the artists’ ‘bumpy road’ has gotten you down or you’re in danger of loosing, have lost or never experienced the ‘Yes!’ dynamic, I highly recommend that either individually or as a group/association, you make the effort to get out there and bring your artwork to the people (and I don’t mean at a gallery, juried exhibition or the like which at times serve as the very bumps in the road we don’t like to run into). Like me, The Hawaii Center for the Deaf and the Blind may be a good place for you to start as well (in fact, Mr. Laad Edwards told me that if other artists are interested, they are more than welcome to contact him to arrange a visit to the Center), but there certainly is no shortage of other places to visit if you just take a moment to think about it. Perhaps even more important, by making such a visit you’ll be doing something that over time could have a long-term, positive, and beneficial impact on the Hawaii art community/art scene overall–developing and nurturing an understanding and an appreciation for a wide variety of ‘other’ art styles and disciplines which represent and reflect the diversity of Hawaii’s artists.

Certainly a lot of grist for the mill and we’d very much like to get your comments and thoughts concerning this installment’s topic. As always, thanks for stopping by Art Talk.

View/Post Responses

a “Good” Work of Art

Purchasing a “Good” Work of Art

I was having coffee the other day with a friend and our conversation jumped from here to there but eventually settled on the topic of art. As it turned out, my friend was looking for some “good” art to decorate his condo. However, he didn’t have a clue as to what he wanted or where to find it. So, he figured that since I am an artist, it would be a good idea to seek my thoughts on the matter. Although somewhat flattered he wanted to know what I thought, I was at the same time a bit overwhelmed and felt pressured to come up with a simple yet satisfying line of thought for him on the matter—I knew there was a good chance my words could influence his decision as to what he would buy and how much he’d be willing to spend on it. So, what to say?

The above situation serves as a good introduction to this installment’s topic of discussion: Why do you buy artwork and what do you consider “good” art to be? As always, I’ll throw a few strokes on the canvas (by way of the reply I gave my friend) to get things rolling and let’s see where that takes us.

After thinking about it for a while I shared the following thoughts with my friend: “First, you can view art (particularly fine art) much in the same way jewelry can be viewed…as a luxury item that you don’t necessarily need, but more an item that you want. Second, you should know what it is you want to purchase i.e. a painting, sculpture, ceramic piece, etc. before you ‘browse’ around the various galleries and shops. Third, and probably most important, when it comes to defining “good” art, “good” is a highly subjective call and the only thing that matters is what “good” means to YOU. Finally, when you’ve zeroed in on what it is you want to purchase, you should feel happy and confident (at least in your own mind and in some cases, your spouse’s mind as well) that your hard earned cash is being well spent.” I tried to leave it at that but I could sense he wasn’t completely satisfied with what I had said. After he thought a bit, he told me that he was specifically looking for some paintings to ‘spruce’ up his condo’s otherwise empty and drab walls. So, I decided to elaborate a little more on what I had told him.

I began by saying: “One of the most important things your new artwork should do is make YOU feel that it ‘works’ for the space it is to be placed in. How well it relates to or works with the environment may revolve around a single aspect, or take into account multiple aspects—again, this is a subjective call on YOUR part and depends on what is important to YOU. I’m primarily referring to the tangible considerations you take into account such as the color(s), size, theme/subject, etc. of the artwork in relation to its setting. Additionally, your new artwork should leave you with another feeling which in a lot of cases, isn’t as easy to define as the one previously mentioned. In fact, this feeling or aspect of the artwork sometimes trumps any tangible consideration(s) used to guide the buy/no-buy decision. I’m referring in particular to the ‘aesthetic’ or ‘how it speaks to you’ feeling you get from the artwork—you know, the vibe you get when you come across something that appeals to you in a way you can’t put your finger on or can’t quite articulate why you like it, you just know you do?” My friend nodded his head indicating that he understood, but I could tell he was still a bit fuzzy overall

I tried to sum it up for him in the following way: “Sometimes, one buys art more or less for a practical reason—e.g. as in your case, to decorate the condo walls. Other times, one may be so moved by a work of art, that he or she must buy it simply because of the strong aesthetic appeal the work has on that person. For me, I’ve found that I value and enjoy an artwork more if it connects with me on an aesthetic level even if I’m buying it primarily to fulfill a practical need. Why? Because tangible considerations used to base my decision may change over time i.e., I may decide to change the color scheme of my condo walls—what then of the artwork I purchased in the past? Whereas having an aesthetic connection with the artwork as well, might serve to transcend or totally negate any tangible change(s) made to the environment i.e., I probably will still enjoy the painting even though it may or may not work with the new color scheme of the walls (I just might have to find a new space for it). So, don’t rely solely on tangible/practical considerations, always leave room in your decision making for the ‘aesthetic connection’ and you’ll never regret the purchase of your artwork.” Additionally, to sort of bring things back around full circle, I decided to pose a question to my friend: “Do you feel your opinion of what is or isn’t “good” art is to some degree influenced by the aesthetic connection you feel towards the artwork in question?” Having ended on that note my friend, although appearing not to be completely fuzz free, nevertheless seemed anxious to get out there so he could buy some paintings. However, I knew he’d still have some pretty tough questions to ask concerning such things as artistic style; original work as opposed to print; ‘limited’ versus ‘open’ edition; etc. I quickly decided though that it would be best to cross those bridges when we came to them. So, we finished our coffees and embarked upon a mission to buy some “good” art.

A simple enough anecdote at first glance, yet the above serves to only scratch the surface and illustrate a few of the many ‘quandaries’ which may await us when we venture out to buy artwork of any medium. Please let us know of your thoughts on this installment’s topic of discussion as well as any quandaries you’ve experienced when buying art. As always, this is…Art Talk.

Get Things Rolling

Art Talk

Welcome to Art Talk! I don’t know about you, but I’m anxious to get things rolling. Since the intended focus for this column is to examine the 2D and 3D ‘Hawaii Art Scene’, it only seems appropriate that for our inaugural discussion, we indeed discuss an aspect of it. Let me first start off by saying that the topic for this discussion as well as my comments, will probably be more applicable to those of the 2D/painting community. However, if this isn’t your discipline, please don’t let that prevent you from contributing to the discussion especially if there is something to be gained through your comments, observations or experiences. Second, my thoughts are targeted more towards Honolulu/Oahu but you might have something to contribute which takes into account one or some of the other islands—so don’t be shy. Lastly, The Honolulu Academy of Arts, The Contemporary Museum and other such institutions are considered to be outside the topic of this discussion and should not be considered otherwise by either direct or indirect reference or by inference.

OK, let me light the fire by posing this question to you: Do you feel that with regards to thematic or subject matter content, tourism more than anything else, is what influences and drives the Hawaii art scene? Perhaps a simple question on the surface but if you do a little digging, you’ll find this one question begs a plethora of related follow-on questions such as: Why is this so or not? … If it is so, is this a bad thing? … What happens if there is a serious and protracted downturn in the tourist industry? … Does it really matter who or what is driving the ‘art scene train’? … etc., etc., etc.

Of course, it could be considered ‘bad form’ if I failed to offer any of my own thoughts on the matter since I instigated this discussion. So, I’ll offer to you these thoughts: I tend to think the art scene here in Hawaii caters too much to tourism and it does so at the expense of the artists whose work isn’t representative of Hawaii’s prevalent art scene themes; it caters to tourism too much and doesn’t help to foster and develop among Hawaii residents an understanding or an appreciation for the numerous other styles of art which exist; and it caters to tourism too much leaving me with the impression that I’m viewing more a commercial enterprise rather than experiencing an artistic adventure. All you have to do is walk around and take a look for yourself—with few exceptions, what do you see? To be sure, Tourism brings a lot of money to Hawaii and its art industry should be able to enjoy a piece of the action. However, as an art COMMUNITY, a hard look must be taken at the non-monetary costs incurred as a result of ‘chasing the tourist dollar’ and the resultant issues addressed, if as an art COMMUNITY, there is a desire to transform Hawaii’s art scene into something greater than it presently is and is capable of being—its not just about the money. However, if the status quo is good enough, then oh well!

Hopefully your participation will address not only the main question, but will also touch upon the many other questions and issues which naturally arise from this topic. By the way, does anyone know where in Honolulu I can purchase a Neo-Expressionism print or two? This is…Art Talk.

RED Art Talk

Art Talk

Welcome to Art Talk. My name is Maurice Hutchinson (“Hutch”) and I’ll be your host for this space. What you won’t find here for example, are eloquent commentaries comparing, contrasting or praising the works of the great masters. However, in order to provoke thought, discussion and learning, you may from time-to-time find a topic of the nature asking that if the great masters were alive today, how would they (if at all) take advantage of or incorporate modern technology in creating their masterpieces—it is well known that in their time, almost all strived to be innovative technology wise regarding their use of brush materials, paint pigments, painting surfaces, stroke techniques, etc. Instead, the intended focus of Art Talk is to examine the 2D and 3D Hawaii ‘art scene’. Art Talk should be viewed and utilized as a forum by which we as artists can voice and share our experiences, insights, questions and perspectives concerning art and life as an artist in Hawaii. I especially encourage and welcome the thoughts and perspectives from Hawaii’s ‘emerging artists’—our experiences are particularly relevant to the intended focus of Art Talk and will be enlightening to its readership across the board.

For all who participate in Art Talk, I’m confident we’ll never be at a loss for words when it comes to discussing the ‘Hawaii art scene’. In fact, much of what will be examined will directly result from or be stimulated by the comments, insights and perspectives you offer. Art Talk is not as much concerned about how ‘politically correct’ or ‘en vogue’ what you have to offer is, as much as it is concerned about you being frank, honest and sincere. It may be that ‘toes get stepped on’ and ‘buttons pushed’ in the wrong way, but it’s a simple fact that when it comes to discussing the type of subject matter we’ll take-on, not everyone is going to be in agreement or happy with what is said 100 per cent of the time. However, as participants in this forum there is one important thing I’d like us all to keep in mind and take responsibility for; that whatever it is we choose to voice, we do so in the spirit of civility, professionalism, and common sense. If we adhere to this principle I feel we’ll be entertained just as much as we are informed–after all, this is Art Talk.