Local artist finding niche

WAIMEA — Nestled among lanky palms and banyan trees, more than 50 cottages built in the early 1900s offer Westside visitors a glimpse of the island’s past. Originally built to house Kaua‘i’s sugar plantation workers, they have been restored to accommodate the modern visitor, but the simple structures spread across the sprawling Waimea Plantation Cottages property still echo a bygone era. It’s that real-life look at the past that first caught artists like Fanny Bilodeau’s eye.

“They’re all so beautiful,” says Bilodeau. “There’s just a vibe there that’s really incredible.”

Bilodeau has vowed to preserve each one of the colorful cottages on canvas. Nearly halfway to her goal, her paintings make time stand still.

Bilodeau’s art hasn’t always been based so firmly in the realm of reality. Not long ago, the artist was more likely to paint a bulbous, cartoon-like bear than a historic structure.

Born in the former Belgian Congo (now Zaire), Bilodeau spent her early years traveling across Africa following her father’s career as an electronic engineer.

When the African Revolution erupted, her family moved to America. Bilodeau grew up in the Deep South, ultimately getting married and settling in the Pacific Northwest. As a married mother of four, Bilodeau spent her down time creating art for greeting cards and illustrating books for her own children, working mainly with colored pencil. It wasn’t until she moved to Kaua‘i in the early 1990s that her art really began to evolve.

Bilodeau was out shopping when she came across an oil painting that she fell in love with. After looking at the price tag, however, she realized that she was in no position to have the gallery wrap it up for her. But Bilodeau says she went home inspired, challenging herself to break into the world of oils and make her own fine art. Giving great attention to depth and detail, she embraced the beauty of the island around her.

“I was totally inspired by the island,” says Bilodeau. “All of my art definitely has a local theme.”

Her art runs the range of island eclectic — tropical fruit, seascapes, local flora. Her great leap into professional art came as she was working in a local gallery selling the work of James Coleman. The budding artist asked Coleman what she had to do to become a successful artist. Without mixing words, Coleman told her to quit her job and “go home and paint.”

“You’ll never get good by selling my art,” he added.

Before long, friends began to ask if they could buy her work. Months later, she was showing in galleries across the island.

While Bilodeau’s landscapes put a fresh spin on familiar places such as Makana Point (Bali Hai) and the Hanalei Pier, they don’t exclusively depict an overtly iconic locale.

“There are just some places that will turn your head,” says Bilodeau. “A little Japanese garden, a quiet beach — icon or not, if its beautiful, that’s it.”

Other reoccurring themes include island fruit and tropical flora, always painted with great attention to the play between light and shadow.

Bilodeau’s early attraction to whimsy has also made a reappearance in her work, this time with a more realistic portrayal of her silly side. Several comical works involve the islands omnipresent chicken population, including “Chicken Express” which depicts a mythic Mayflower-like landing of the first chickens on the island.

“I like to make people laugh,” says Bilodeau. “It’s like bringing my inner kid out. It just tickles me inside.”

By far, one of the greatest projects she has undertaken has been documenting the historic plantation cottages on the Westside. Teddi Alexander is an unabashed fan of Bilodeau’s work, not only as an art aficionado, but as the person who runs Gallery West, the quaint art space at Waimea Plantation Cottages Resort. Alexander has seen first-hand what catches the eye of the average visitor, and the type of art they long to bring home.