In recent years, the world of original art changed -and Lahaina's Front Street was no exception.
"With the downturn of the economy in recent years, it has changed the buying habits of individuals," says one gallery owner here.
"After 9-11, people came in, not even asking prices, and then all of a sudden, all of the high-priced pieces and the larger pieces just stopped moving. A lot of the galleries were left with art that was no longer in the price range of your average art lover."
Article Photos
Photographer Mark Middleton captures the glory of a setting sun behind two resting Hawaiian green sea turtles in this giclee work entitled, “Pau Hana,” at Lahaina Printsellers.
So local artists fine tuned their craft to reinvigorate the market with fresh ideas, even during the lean years.
"We maintain our originals but we've also created a wide selection of giclees with over 40 local Maui artists," says Rick Momson, general manager of Lahaina Printsellers. "This has enabled us to offer great pieces of art at very reasonable prices and it keeps our local artists working."
For those of us that are new to giclees, it's a process created to place original art onto canvas using archival pigment ink that is guaranteed not to fade or change color tones for over 80 years. Since this is Maui, the art is also coated with UV spray that it holds up to the tropical elements.
Featured giclee artists this month include Richard Fields, Jacqueline Mauvais, Simon Williams, Mailyn Maulin and Nadine Ramelb.
"Although the market is coming back, it does seem like consumers are more conscious of their spending habits and are looking for great value in addition to great art, says Momson. "It has also allowed us to go into a broader market with visitors that may have chosen a more traditional tourist souvenir otherwise."
Do come and check out the wildly popular Friday Night Art Walk on the second weekend of each month. From the Wyland Gallery to Lahaina Printsellers to Peter Lik, it's a top street in American for buying fine art.
The Montessori School of Maui's third annual Art Gallery will be displayed from 6 to 8 p.m. this evening.
Come and enjoy the art done by the elementary and middle school students on the campus at 2933 Baldwin Ave., in the heart of paniolo country. Call 573-0374.
Maui abstract painter Brad Forsythe has been expanding his work into digital mediums and creating what's known as "Lens Based Art."
Forsythe is one of 53 top photographers from throughout the U.S. selected to participate in Photowork's 25th National Juried Photography Exhibition at Barret Art Center Galleries in Poughkeepsie, New York through July 7. Juror, Susan Thompson, assistant curator at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum New York City, selected only 80 winning images from the 1000 entries. Forsythe had two of his images selected. His works are also at Turnbull Fine Art gallery in Paia.
