Blog - Page 11 of 32 - Studio Deanna

Photography, Video, & Studio Time…

In the studio I continue to work on my macro photography and am happy with the results. Always room for improvement, of course and with each new lesson I learn in Photoshop I find I am able to take better photographs the next time. Some days the best photo editing is the delete button.

Moving beyond a lovely photograph I am working with creating shadows with the wire. Unfortunately the rainy season seems to have moved in over a month late. Plus my home has the strange privacy windows that are frosted. Nice for taking photos but are the worst for creating shadows. Need to move my work outside my home to see the final results.

StudioDeanna_atHiSAMgs — PC: @hisam_gs_mori

In a wonderful surprise, I found my work on display, ready for sale at the Hawaii State Art Museum’s Gallery Shop Opening Event!! Thank you, thank you, thank you ever so much to Mori & Lisa Shiroma =) Their support for local artists in Hawaii is epic!

Waterfall Drop piece, 75cm x 10cm, a short vid to see what a simple photograph cannot capture.

Almost done with this piece, double stranded 20 gauge wire with very unique, handmade beadwork. Another experiment in shapes, forms, colors, and putting the beads on in the correct order. The beads need to be added first and in a backwards fashion to the final pattern. Somehow I got them on sideways to the original pattern. With wire it is a done deal, it’s “Make it Work” as Tim Gunn would say. We’ll see soon what the final results will be.

I’ve learned a lot from listening to Bernice Akamine speak in person. I’ve learned a lot from her work both as a wire artist and an artist with a strong message as a native Hawai’ian Cultural Practitioner. I highly recommend going to see her work and attending her Artist Talk on Saturday, Aug 19. Ever so disappointed I won’t be in Hawaii during the show but I hope you attend. Listen. What will you learn from her?

Follow my day to day art adventures on Instagram: StudioDeanna

Art Byte Critique: ‘Game Changing Art Collective…’

Since 2012 I have been a member of Art Byte Critique here in Tokyo, Japan and it has been a game changer for me. We are an international group representing Japan and several countries around the world.

We greatly appreciate our inclusion in the write up by INDIE Magazine, July 21, 2017 by Hannah Cassens Marshall:

“Art Byte Critique (Tokyo)
Art Byte Critique was created in 2012 by Arthur Huang in response to a desire for a community of artists interested in sharing ideas and providing feedback for work; its purpose was to find a productive outlet for resources that could grow studio practice. The collective has become a touchstone or home base for the participating artists. The term “Art Byte” is a play on the Japanese (German-derived) word for part-time work, アルバイト (arubaito), as most of the participating artists also have other occupations. Driven by concerns about the sustainability of an artistic practice in the current globalized contemporary art environment, Art Byte Critique focuses less on the big picture of the contemporary art world and more on the development of a smaller, more actionable community of artists with a range of practices and perspectives. Monthly studio work discussion meetings run alongside regular communications via social media and blogs, as well as updates on creative events in the Tokyo area. There is no formal membership in Art Byte Critique, rather a conscious decision to create a fluid environment where all artists are informed of all activities and are invited to participate as and when they wish.”

Super proud to be a part of Art Byte Critique since its inception. Thank You, Arthur and fellow members members!

While we await anxiously to hear about a group proposal, here’s just a taste of what we have in the works coming up:

July 31 – Artist Talks w/Nick West & Patty Hudak – Good Heavens Brit Bar in Shimokitazawa, Tokyo starting at 7:30PM

Sept 9 – Oct 9 Nakanojo Biennial: Both Arthur J Huang and Yuka Otani each have been chosen to participate.

Sept 28 – Oct 1 Mia Oo will have work and be attending the Mokuhanga International Conference in Honolulu, Hawaii

Oct 5 – 8: Art Byte Critique just rec’d the great news yesterday that we have been included in the upcoming Tokyo Art Book Fair for the 4th year in a row! 6 of us are participating this year, coordinated this year by Lori Ono. Also participating are; Yuko Kamei, Louise Rouse, Arthur J Huang, Patty Hudak, & Nick West

Oct 6 – First Friday in Honolulu, Hawaii – Deanna Gabiga will have a show of new works at Chinatown Lofts

Expect to see work by Michelle Zacharias to pop-up in Kyoto near the end of October/early November.

Ruri Clarkson – She is keeping us in suspense with a new (still secret!!) project :) In the meantime she has posted work at www.chromatope.com

To keep up with events be sure to follow Art Byte Critique on Facebook

We look forward to seeing you at our events, Thank You!

The Latest Bits

Under a heavy cloud of jet lag I continue working in my new studio here in Japan. Setup was going well until I realized I somehow lost hardware for the bookcase. sigh.

*adds errand to the local hardware store to the ever growing to-do list*

We at Art Byte Critique Group have been busy putting together a group application for a show in 2018. Really great to see we are a super diverse group of skilled artists in many of the necessary peripheral activities from graphic design to PR/DM. We have at least one person with experience in each area ready to jump in to make this show happen.

Still more jet lag ensues as I visit the New England area, yet I push through (with a few catnaps) and enjoyed the great opportunity to meet the lovely Sharon Stafford of @sharonstaffordmetals Amazing to sit down with another wire metals artist and bounce ideas around. Excited to see where our conversation takes us in the coming months.

SharonStaffordMetalsCopper — Meticulously Hand-woven piece by Sharon Stafford

Sharon took me to Mobilia Gallery where they have work by one of my greatest influences, Arline Fisch. All this time I had heard about her Jellyfish installation and was never in the same place until last week at Mobilia Gallery! Quite a few other metals artists utilizing textile techniques have their work on display there, also. Really wonderful experience, Thank you, Sharon!!

Back in Japan I am filling out a couple residency applications between naps.

My friend Arthur has an upcoming group show at Gallery Hasu no Hana “Endless Dialogue” along with fiber artist Sashiko Teramura and Michiko Fujita. Starts Sat, July 8.

Being back in Tokyo area has really opened up a few more options regarding printing for my macro photography work so I’m looking forward to see how far I can push this line.

Follow my day to day art adventures through my Instagram: Studio Deanna

Endangered Ark Opens Friday, May 19

A Call to Action for our endangered species here in Hawaii and around the world on Endangered Species Day. From 6 – 9 PM in the Chinatown Artists Lofts, Gallery Space #203, Ark of the Unicorns will be presenting, The Endangered Ark, a group art show featuring artwork inspired by the gorgeous flora & fauna living in and around Hawaii.

StudioDeanna_EndangeredOceans — Endangered Oceans by Deanna Gabiga 42″ x 38″ Fiber, Ghost Nets, Plastic Yarn

Our oceans are filled with debris such as ghost nets from the fishing industry, in which many of our endangered species become entangled. These nets are unseen on the surface, a huge drifting hazard below.

Make your voice known by writing a postcard message to elected officials regarding The Endangered Species Act:

ArkoftheUnicorns_Postcards — Choose your favorite postcard to send your message! Photo: Ark of the Unicorns

ArtsyFishy_RoundCards — Sea Turtle illustration work by Kirsten Carlson Photo: @artsyfishy

ArtsyFishy_SeaTurtle — Squee little baby sneak peak by Kirsten Carlson Photo: @artsyfishy

FloraFaunaFiber_SilverSword — Endangered Silver Sword Sculpture & Photo: @florafaunafiber

TheEndangeredArk — Follow @arkoftheunicorns and @theendangeredark for beautiful nature inspired ART and ACTION! Art by Kayleigh Chalkowski @artofbirdology

This Friday at Chinatown Artists Lofts: 6-9 Endangered Species Day! Several more artists are participating with lovely work to be seen. 30% of sales will be going to the @kauaiforestbirds kauaiforestbirds.org program.

Follow my day to day adventures on Instagram: StudioDeanna

Hanging Out at ROC

Thanks to an opportunity through Hawai’i Craftsmen, it’s my turn to have art work at the Real Office Center in Chinatown Honolulu.

Two of my waterfall pieces are hanging out in the 1st Floor window:

StudioDeanna_ROCdet — Deep Turquoise Waterfall (36″ x 5″ x 7″)

Each piece is a hand-crocheted copper wire sculpture & custom powder-coated ready for hanging indoors or out.

StudioDeanna_ROC2 — Bright Turquoise Waterfall (27″ x 5″ x 5″)

Contact me at StudioDeanna (at) me (dot) com if you are interested in owning one of these hand-crocheted sculptures.

Follow my day to day art adventures on Instagram: StudioDeanna

Honolulu Biennial @ IBM Bldg

More volunteer adventures today at the Honolulu Biennial with work by three internationally renowned artists:

Choi Jeong Hwa’s Breathing Flower is not a bounce house despite the best efforts of young children. A blower within regulates its inflation so it acts as a breathing entity.

Being an artist myself, I see it as a good lesson in material and color choices. I don’t know how old this specific piece is but it has markedly faded in the sunlight. Is this simply a poor color choice or would a different material in this color held up better. The material itself seems to be sturdy enough otherwise.

Zhan Wang’s Artificial Rock is a beautiful shiny recreation of a real rock formation. Love it! I am curious as to why the artist chose to create it in steel instead of aluminum? Considering his work is shipped around the world wouldn’t aluminum be lighter weight, less expensive to ship and be easier for art handlers? Or is aluminum that much more expensive in China?

Yayoi Kusama’s I’m Here, but Nothing is a Hawaiian style room with uv lights and her glowing polka dots everywhere. Her original vision here was to use antique furniture however with Hawaii’s tropical climate and distance from everywhere else, antique furniture is a very difficult order to fulfill. Hawaiian style was negotiated complete with Hawaiian quilt and surfboard!

Follow my day to day art adventures on Instagram: Studio Deanna

Honolulu Biennial @ Foster Botanical Garden

My volunteering adventures with the Honolulu Biennial started here at Foster Botanical Gardens, chilling in the shade next to Yayoi Kusama’s Footprints of Life. I first saw these pieces at Design Sight 2121 in Tokyo several years ago and it was interesting to see them again in this new environment and in this new capacity.

They are so very inviting that children want to climb on them and adults want to sit but they are not structurally sound enough to be park benches.

Please do not sit on me, I am not a Park Bench, Thank You :)

Sean Connelly is an artist from Hawaii who has built a piece addressing ahupua’a, which is a Hawaiian way of land ownership that is uniquely different from the Western idea of a specific property ownership. I learned a lot about Hawaii in my conversation with him. Thanks, Sean!

Andrew Binkley’s Stone Cloud floats in the air amongst the trees as boulders don’t. Visitors have been taking forced perspective photos of each other holding up this huge rock. The stone that is both there and not there, both permenant and impermanent. Andrew has been a great addition to our studio space in Kaka’ako.

Charlton Kupa’a Hee has created ceramic pieces showing the interactions of invasive species’ with many of the native species here in Hawaii. There are a huge number of both flora and fauna that have been brought to the islands that have had a devastating effect on the local life here. But amongst all of them the most destructive has been humans themselves!

As I sat in Lynne Yamamoto’s Borrowed Time, enjoying the afternoon sun, she walked up and we had a lovely conversation about her inspiration. Her own family who have lived in the area around the Foster Botanical Garden for several generations and how cross-cultural and from varied economic levels most Hawaiian families are. Yes, we may interact with her piece :)

Stop by the Foster Botanical Garden to see these unique pieces, visit their website for more details about the Gardens.

Visit http://www.honolulubiennial.org for more location and event info!