“There’s such a wonderful group of talented people here, and I’m blessed to be able to share this journey with them,” she says.

It is a space dedicated to creative pursuits, and one that Lynch has been sharing with the public a few days each February when Maui Open Studios draws art lovers and the curious who caravan across the island, visiting artists in their homes, galleries, garages — wherever the magic of creativity lives.

Like Lynch, multimedia artist Lynette Pradiga has been involved in MOS for most of the event’s almost decade-long history.

Moving to Maui with the dream of being a working artist, Pradiga attended the inaugural MOS event in 2010 with her husband and subsequently vowed to be on the receiving end the following year. She’s been involved ever since, welcoming between 450 and 500 people into her home studio each year.

Ray Masters in his studio; VIVIENNE MASTERS photo

“It’s full days of people coming and going — like an online game of Donkey Kong,” she says with a laugh.

Having an open studio is no small feat, Pradiga acknowledges, but the reward far exceeds the effort.

“It really builds confidence to gain experience selling your own art and begin to understand your market by talking to potential buyers,” she

explains. “The great thing is that you can be an emerging artist and have people see your work without being in a gallery, which can take years, it happens at all. You’re only as good as what you put out there.”

Pradiga’s once ethereal vision, loosely threaded with passion and promise, has solidified into a vibrant career with her work prominently displayed in Enchantress Gallery at The Shops at Wailea.

Jeanette Hablewitz; SUE HUDELSON photo

Lynch and Pradiga are among the 98 artists participating in this annual paean to emerging and established artists who open their hearts and their people into their personal spaces to enjoy refreshments, demonstrations and an opportunity to talk story or purchase artwork at often discounted prices.

“It gives people the chance to hang original artwork in their home,” Lynch notes.

MOS, the brainchild of artist and founder Carolyn Quan, enters its ninth year next month with three separate weekends of self-guided tours that span West, Central, North, South and Upcountry Maui.

Quan, who moved from Hawaii to the San Francisco Bay Area in 2008, decided to launch MOS after participating in a similar event in northern California.

“I just loved it,” she recalls. “I said to myself, ‘There’s nothing like this on Maui and there needs to be one.’ So I put a plan together to produce an open studio event on the island, where I had lived for seven years.”

Packed house at opening celebration night; courtesy MOS

A gallery owner and professional artist while on the Valley Isle, Quan’s strong ties to the local art community provided the resources and knowledge necessary for the event’s enduring success.

She credits the robust enthusiasm of Maui artists with a level of engagment that has remained constant since the event’s inception.

“There has been amazing consistency over the years as far as sales of artwork and the number of artists participating each year,” she says. “From the get-go, it all averaged out about the same from year to year.”

The one element that has greatly increased, notes Quan, is the number of people coming out for the event.

“It has grown every single year,” she explains. “We even have art lovers who plan their vacations around the MOS event.”

Cudra Clover at work in her studio; BENNETT YASHON photo

Nick Dinsmore and his family visit each year specifically to see the latest artwork from Maui artists.

“We have purchased many items — glass works, paintings, jewelry and much more — which we display in our home in Michigan,” he says. “We enjoy traveling the island and visiting the artists at their studios and homes.”

This year, says Dinsmore, they’re bringing six additional art lovers to experience the MOS event and possibly take home made-on-Maui treasures.

“The regulars always show up,” Pradiga comments happily. “One guy comes every year just to buy my greeting cards.”

Bob Harris, a Maui resident who regularly attends MOS and has purchased a number of pieces during the event, says he enjoys interacting with and supporing the area’s creative talents.

Tools of the trade line a wall in Deb Lynch’s studio; MONA DE CRINIS photo

“Talk to folks, get to know the artists,” he advises first-timers.

Similar to the open studio events held on the Mainland, the event is free to the public. While participating artists pay a registration fee, most welcome the chance to share their creations and exercise their marketing and transactional muscles.

“It’s a valuable opportunity for artists to show their work and studio to potential clients,” says Roberta Ann Weisburg, an artist who has been a dot on the MOS map for six years. “I’ve met many wonderful collectors through the event.”

Another plus, adds Weisburg, is that the artists retain 100 percent of their sales.

“It’s beneficial for the community as well to explore and meet the makers of art,” she continues, “which isn’t always possible in a gallery or online.”

Broken up into three separate weekends, the event features printed guidebooks and online artist directories that direct visitors to studios and exhibition spaces augmented with street signs pointing the public to select locations.

It’s a big undertaking, which Quan expertly handles with a team of dedicated volunteers.

“I have to wear about 10 different hats to produce and oversee the event,” she admits. “It’s not an easy job, but it is very rewarding for me to know that I can play a positive role in bringing artists and art lovers together and help facilitate connections between them.”

_______________

Opening Celebration and Preview Exhibition

5 p.m. to 8 p.m. • Feb. 2  

Pa’ina Culinary Arts Center

University of Hawaii Maui College

310 W. Kaahumanu Ave., Kahului

• Pick up a copy of the MOS Guidebook.

• Sip complimentary wine.

• Enjoy food and beverages for purchase.

• Listen to live music.

• Meet many of the artists in person.

• Preview artist’s work to help you design your self-guided tours.

_______________

Participating artists

WEEKEND 1 WEST, CENTRAL, NORTH MAUI OPEN STUDIOS

FEB 9 + 10

11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Jerry Sullivan • Painting; Designer Handcrafted Jewelry

Lisa Louie • Hand Knit. Fiber

Victoria Wundram • Watercolor

Ryan Staub • Glass

Raliegh Timmins • Oil

Nansy Phleger • Painter

Tied by the Sea • Fiber Art, Macrame

Michael Stark • Oil Painting

Pamela Neswald • Oil and Mixed Media

Joelle C. • Painting

Mary Ann Leigh • Ceramics

Calen Adams • Watercolor

Ray Masters • Paintings and Photography

Martha Hecker • Ceramics

sigaljewels • Jewelry

Liat Choucroun • Oil on Canvas

Dina Alexis Cline • Oil

Kathleen Alexander • Watercolor

UH Maui College Art Dept • Various mediums

Taryn Alessandro • Mixed Media Painter

Zane Motz • Pyrography

Richard Dejacimo • Ground Aluminum

Amanda Scott • Oil Painting

Spar Street • Mixed Media Paintings/Sculpture

Pascaline Laloux • Watercolors and Acrylic

Jessica Murthi • Polymer Clay

Aryn Forrest Designs • Stone Craft

Kai Chow • Hawaiian Stone Carving

WEEKEND 2 UPCOUNTRY MAUI

OPEN STUDIOS

FEB 16 + 17

11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Strini Art • Glass Custom Lighting

Christine Waara • Watercolor

Khalilah Birdsong • Painting

Sara Maverick Plesset • Fabric

Cliff Benjamin • Mixed Media Painter

Cudra Clover • Silk Painting

Donna Zarbin-Byrne • Bronze, Bees Wax, Mixed Media

Geoffrey T. Moore • Photography and Illustration

Kathleen Alexander • Watercolor

Gabriel Burchman • Mixed Media

Clay Simpson • Wood

Janet Davis • Painter

Willow Green • Oil, Watercolor

Carole Zoom • Printmaking

Alani Kai Jewelry • Jewelry

Edward Baldwin • Fine Art Photography

Angela Sears • Acrylic

Lalénya Laurie Vann • Oil Painting

Allen Pufahl • Painting and Sculpture

Tom Faught • Mixed Medium Artist

Melissa Bruck • Mixed Media

Art Liliana • Ceramic, Painting

Tim Garcia • Sculptor

Keri Meyer/

UrbanOceans Design

• Jewelry

Roberta Ann Weisenburg • Jewelry

Joanne Hopper • Oil and Watercolor

Deb Lynch • Oil

Jim Lynch • Pastel and Oil Painter

Elizabeth Selig • Sumi Ink

Cultural Creations Maui • Paintings, Jewelry, Cultural Art

Therese Tice • Dirt and Acrylic

Chase Tokutaro • Ink and Markers

Lynette Pradiga • Mixed Media Artist

Jeanne Young • Oil Painter

Drew Sulock • Photography

Katharine Stone Ayers • Watercolor

Monique Fay • Photography

Worcester Glassworks • Blown Glass

Simpson Artworks • Wood

Rachael Holton • Mixed Media and Photography

Kevin Omuro • Ceramics

Jennifer J. Stephens • Mixed Media Collage

Dennis Chamberlain • Glass Sculpture

Debbie Shimabukuro • Kiln Formed Glass and Silk

Michael Clements • Pastel and Oil

Joe Fletcher • Oil

George Allan • Impressionist Oil Painter

Frank B. Shaner • Painting and Mixed Media

Jill Painter • Painter

WEEKEND 3 SOUTH MAUI

OPEN STUDIOS

FEB 23 + 24

11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Aubrey May Bumatay • Ceramic

Anne Provost • Mixed Media

Jerry Sullivan • Painting; Designer Handcrafted Jewelry

Lille Batthyany • Fluid Acrylic Art and photigraphy

Mary Beth Binder • Contemporary Glass Mosaic

Kate Eifler • Ceramics

Sherry Ringer • photography

Beth Cooper • Painter, Printmaker

Stacy Vosberg • Acrylic

Eric DeMaria • Woodwork

Debra Lumpkins • Gyotaku (Fish Printing)

Christina DeHoff • Mixed Media Painter

Sara Honeycutt • Drawing/Mixed Media

Dale Zarrella • Wood, Stone, Bronze Sculpture and Painting

Eva Roberts • Flow Painter

Aaron Loyd • Fiberglass Sculpture

Diane Snoey Appler • Oil painting

Yasha • Jewelry

Khalilah Birdsong poses in front of her colorful work. -- DEOGRACIAS LERMA photo