Meet the dynamic husand-and-wife team of Peter and Madeline Powell from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. during Friday Night Art Night at Lahaina Galleries, 828 Front St.
The Powells' painting process is truly a collaborative partnership, with the razor edge detail in their paintings becoming a gray fuzzy area when it comes to which one of them painted what part. The gradual evolution of their combined skills started over 25 years ago, when they first discovered their synchronized vision.
Each painting starts with setting up and taking multiple reference photos of the subject matter. They mostly choose to concentrate on "larger than life" images of everyday things with a bit of a nostalgic feel, i.e. candy, toys and cars. The reference photos are then analyzed on a light table with a magnifying viewing loop for composition, balance and overall theme, before the final image is selected.
Article Photos
“Kurplunk” by Peter and Madeline Powell
The Powells usually have several paintings in various stages of progress in the studio and literally trade places, moving from one painting to the next. On the larger works, they often stand shoulder to shoulder, painting into the early hours of the morning, fine tuning the detail on these complex paintings.
Fellow Lahaina Galleries artist Steve Turnbull will appear at its Wailea location at The Shops at Wailea, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Whether symbolizing the flight of an eagle or the power of a moving tide, Turnbull hopes to enrich the viewers' lives with his art.
"I am inspired by what I see in nature and try to capture that perfection, never pretending to have the power to create the exact scene or object," he says. "My art is simple, clean, beautiful and true to what I believe in."
Turnbull works with wood, stone and bronze. He subtracts elements within the medium to bring form to life, often leaving portions of the piece in their natural state. Steve has found that sun-cured driftwood that is weathered and shaped by nature lends to his unique style. Patrons have become accustomed to the warmth projected by each Turnbull original. Combining these elements, Steve blends his hands with nature's own creative instinct.
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Today is the last day to view a free public art display hosted by the County of Maui and the Maui Sister Cities Foundation. The showcase includes 10 winning entries from the international Young Artist Showcase competition. Check out the exhibit from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. today at the Maui County Business Resource Center at the Maui Mall.
All entries reflect the "Your Path to Peace" theme, celebrating the uniqueness of cities, towns and communities throughout the world. One of the winning entries is from Maui County's Sister City of Quezon City, Philippines. It was submitted to the competition by the Maui County Sister Cities Foundation.
In a related event, the winner of the 2010 Maui Young Artists Showcase was announced earlier this month. She is 17-year-old Bianca Nicolas of Maui High School. Her winning entry, "The People Who Make Me," took top honors with this year's theme "Your World."
"The People Who Make Me" will be sent to the Sister Cities International Young Artist Showcase to be entered into this year's competition.
Since 1988, the Sister Cities International Young Artists Showcase has encouraged youths from around the globe to express their interpretation of promoting peace through mutual respect, understanding and the cooperation though one individual, one community at a time.
For details, call the Maui County Business Resource Center at 873-8247.
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The Spring Craft Fair, sponsored by Ben Franklin Crafts, will be in full bloom from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday at War Memorial Gym in Wailuku. Admission is free.
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Maui potter Jeff Johnson will be the featured artist at the Maui Crafts Guild in Paia beginning Friday through May 13. Meet the artist during an opening reception from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Friday. Festivities will include refreshments and live music.
Johnson creates both functional and decorative ceramic pieces in stoneware and porcelain. Each piece is unique and individually handmade utilizing the potter's wheel and hand-built construction using both slabs and extrusions. He incorporates celadon glazes, sgraffito, applied slip and a variety of colorful glazes that reflect Maui's beautiful island surroundings. His new pieces include pit- fired and raku-fired pieces.
