The Women Artists of Kaua’i will host their Holiday Fine Art Festival and Fundraiser tomorrow in Hanapepe at the United Church of Christ (UCC) from 10-3. A portion of the proceeds from the event will go to Nana’s House, a
The Women Artists of Kaua’i will host their Holiday Fine Art Festival and Fundraiser tomorrow in Hanapepe at the United Church of Christ (UCC) from 10-3. A portion of the proceeds from the event will go to Nana’s House, a family support center of Child & Family Service on the Westside.
“Our goal is to keep it to local charities,” founder of Women Artists of Kaua’i (WAK) artist Marionette said of their fundraisers, adding that the venue of the event, Hanapepe UCC also is a supporter of Nana’s House.
“This is my first event, and it has a really good feel about it,” said Robin McCoy, one of the featured artists on Saturday who recently joined The Women Artists of Kaua’i. McCoy’s art can be found in galleries and shops on the south and west side, including Hanapepe Café, The Wine Shop, Kalaheo Coffee Co. and Island Soap & Candle Works, as well as the Koa Wood gallery in Hanapepe.
“I’m drawn to nature,” McCoy said of her art, adding that she tries to capture “the essence of the islands” in her art work. McCoy will be selling cards and prints in vintage frames, as well as giving a painting demonstration at the event.
Rocky Riedel, another artist who joined WAK over a year ago who will be selling her ball-shaped sculptures at the fundraiser, explained the idea behind her featured work in an interview earlier this month.
“I was walking down the beach on New Year’s Day last year at Anahola beach, and out of nowhere a beach ball came rolling down the beach,” Reidel said. “And I decided, this year I’m going to have a ball,” she explained happily.
Riedel builds the balls out of rock, newspaper and clay, and uses acrylic paints on them, with each one turning out different.
“They are abstract, and when you look at them differently, you see different things,” she said. Reidel’s work can be found at Island Art in Hanapepe. Reidel participated in the past WAK fundraiser at the National Tropical Botanical Gardens (NTBG), which the group will host again for the organization next month on December 19th, with some of the proceeds going to NTBG.
To be a member of WAK, one must be a full-time resident of Kaua’i, and be a fine artist, said Marionette, who said most artists have contacted the group through word of mouth. WAK is a way for artists to promote themselves while giving back to local charities on Kaua’i, and it is growing in numbers.
The other artists participating in the fundraiser are Aweepano Vivian Saton, Dava Shepherd, Anna Skaradzinska, Helen Turner, Jana Viles, Schar Freeman, founder Marionette, and new members Leslie Tribolet and Lilian de Mello. Paintings, photography, jewelry, glass and clay and mixed media will be featured, as well as gifts and ornaments for the holidays.
In addition to painting demonstrations, there will be music by Kenny Kealoulu Keli’iihoomalu, face painting for children with Aunty Stephanie, and food available from Mele’s Kusina. For more information, visit www.womenartistsofkauai.org or call Marionette at 631-9173.
