The RED List
What inspires your Art?
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1. Markus Reynolds – Painter/Accessories Designer "Most people wear silver and gold. I like leather, and I like necklaces. So I thought it would be an interesting idea to make a necklace or a jewelry piece made out of leather. I had a stone that I wanted to keep with me all the time, so I put the stone on a cut piece of leather and made a leather pendant. And I wore it around my neck. I like to use earth colored stones that have certain healing or emotional energies. Recently I have been using "hematite"(blood stone). When polished it has a silver-like appearance. So it is attractive to the eye. It also has certain positive energies. And I'm all about the energies surrounding us. I also don't like to throw things away, so if I can make something out of it, that's what I do. Especially something I can wear." |
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2. Bernard Portner - Sculptor "The work began in October of 2005 with a huge block (2000 pounds), of the most exquisite white statuario marble, which I bought in Pietrasanta, Italy in 2002. The piece is more highly polished in the face and shoulders and gradually less finished towards the base, representing the metamorphosis of stone to flesh. To show motion, the right breast swings out away from her chest, as she bends her torso and rotates downward. The base itself is uncarved, left as a reminder of its quarry in the Carrara Mountains, of Michaelangelo fame. As the figure emerges out of her rough base, it seems disproportionately elongated, as if a plume of dreamy smoke, a gossamer beauty swirling upwards." |
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3. Ke Kai Kealoha – Free Form Jewelry Designer "This collection is completely about the journey of becoming alive! Each individual piece represents a unique voyage and the passage for each inspiration takes on twists and turns that are different from another. Inevitably the journey in all of its chaos is as beautiful as the treasure found within. From my hands to yours, a journey of my soul, without losing sight of the spirit within." |
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4. Kai Hyde – Ni’ihau Shell Jewelry Maker "My passion for Ni’ihau shell leis started at a young age when I first saw my grandmother’s collection and by the age of 7 I had made several of my own leis. I see Ni'ihau shells as Hawaii's gift from the sea. I am inspired by the beauty of the shells and the finished form they take. Many of the leis I make take over 80,000 shells to finish, each of which has to be sorted, cleaned and drilled in the same position by hand. A multi-strand wedding lei made from Momi's can take a year to create but will last a lifetime. All the leis I make are done using traditional designs and techniques. I love restringing older leis for museums and private collectors because I am able to bring a piece of history back to life that can be passed on for future generations to enjoy." |
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5. Isidra Suga – Body Painter/Photographer "A girlfriend was expecting a baby girl and I chose to capture the moment by designing a little flower on her belly and photographing her. The Image was exactly how I interpreted it in my mind, I knew right there that this is a special experience for mothers to document and have as a keepsake. Certain experiences in my life have inspired this maternal beauty. A grand design inspired by my love for abstract art. The sun is to symbolize and expecting a male and a flower to represent a female, free-styling colors of the rainbow through make up. Visualizing the color of my palate mixing together every line, composition and concept is important to capture this emotion of motherhood. Photographing on location, living in Hawaii for all my life I never take it for granted what this paradise offers." |
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6. Stella R - Stained Glass Studio "As a Stained Glass designer, my main inspiration comes from the glass itself. The variations of color and texture make my imagination go wild. I love that the variations within the medium of glass allow me to create pieces that feel alive and moving especially once the light shines through them. After the initial high from the exciting variations of glass, my second inspiration stems from the possibilities of the medium - as far as what it can do for the room or space that it is going to be added to. For example a plain piece of glass added to a room for light will do it’s job and allow light to brighten a room, however…a piece of brilliantly swirled, amethyst colored baroque glass in the place of that plain glass will in addition to allowing light, add the healing glow of amethyst to the room as it is carried in by the light that shines through it." |
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7. Glenda Carbonera – Make-up Artist "On this model, I was inspired to use the "Sakura" or known as the Cherry Blossom. The Sakura was a gift from Japan to the United States in 1912. As you know, the Sakura blooms once a year. My female model represents the bloom of the Sakura, which unveiled the hair bow covered by the fans I secured. The bow represents the gift. The circle ball represents the circle of friendship that between Japan & U.S." |
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8. Kaumakaiwa Kealiikanakaole – Singer, Hula dancer "I believe that people are a reflection of their environment and the elements therein. My environment was Hilo, on Hawai'i island, and the elements were my family and my traditions. Call it destiny, serendipity or fate; what I know is that both Hilo and my family set me on the path of my musical journey. My great grandmother was a recording artist, my grandmother and grandaunt followed, and my mother after them. And what was extraordinary was that none of it was planned it just "was." My musical journey began when I first heard my grandmother chant at the age of 4. I had gone with her to Hula practice at the old Hata building in downtown Hilo. I don't know if it was a combination of the acoustics of the old studio or of my grandmother and grand aunts chanting voices carried over by the ipu and pahu that had awakened something within me. It was intriguing to my ear and fascinating to my senses. It was a new experience however familiar to my ancestral memory. That was the day my inspiration i gnited, the day I began to realize my potential as a Hawaiian, as a contemporary and as a part of my lineage. That was the day I became an artist." |
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9. Susan Morita – Mosaics/Painter "Becoming a part of the Earth we live on with its oceans, mountains peaks and valleys has made my time here complete. I have danced up them, ran head first down toward the next new artistic adventure. I have been blessed with the layer upon layer of artistic challenges to show me the way to my inner self to the place where Peace resides in me. Creativity has brought purpose to my life and pure excitement of planning every new project. I will continue to expand and grow by adding new challenges by adding new mediums to my experiences. I now include ceramic, mosaic, fusing glass while always working on my first love of painting and my latest interest of digital photographic arts. " |
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10. David Graves – Alabaster Sculptor "In 1968 or so, I migrated to New York's Lower East Side and became acquainted with Italian-American sculptor, Charles O'Keefe. Charles taught me to sculpt stone, impressing on me that it is important to say something. I have since added to my works with the art of casting metal. The idea of leaving messages that may be seen and interpreted by people who will live long after our current civilizations and languages are forgotten and no longer decipherable beguiles my fancy, and is the driving force that has shaped my work..." |
