LIHUE — Much of the artwork at the Kauai Society of Artists’ “small work, Big Show” would make good holiday gifts, said Cindy Balderson, who was gallery sitting at Kukui Grove Center over the weekend. “This is perfect for people
LIHUE — Much of the artwork at the Kauai Society of Artists’ “small work, Big Show” would make good holiday gifts, said Cindy Balderson, who was gallery sitting at Kukui Grove Center over the weekend.
“This is perfect for people looking for that unique, one-of-a-kind piece which is easy to buy,” Balderson said. “Almost everything shown is available for sale and the starting prices are reasonable.”
The “small work, Big Show” opened last week with an opening reception and will run through Jan. 8 at the KSA gallery in Kukui Grove Center. Weekday hours are from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Friday hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Balderson was supporting her husband, Jerry Balderson, who had four pieces in the show, including two Hawaiian Fish Hook “Makau” pieces.
“This is a small work show,” she said. “It cannot be taller than 16 inches, and there was a limit of five pieces being selected. This means there are a lot of pieces here.”
One of those pieces was not an insect, nor was it a spider, she pointed out.
“It has seven legs,” Balderson said of the piece by Amoroso DeGracia. “An insect has six legs, and a spider has eight. This one has seven, so what is it? It has antennae, and my favorite is the ‘Kokonut Scream.’ I love the expression.”
M. Lea Ingram, who also was gallery sitting over the weekend, said, “There is a lot of talent here. This is a very different kind of show, and I’m amazed at the kind of talent is shown here.”
One of Ingram’s pieces, “Gecko Getaway,” earned The Art Shop Award.
KSA artist Keith Tammarine didn’t need a fish hook for “Noodles,” a clay-raku piece on display at the show.
“In the Midwest, when we wanted to catch catfish, you stuck your hand in the water near the catfish hole,” said Tammarine, who was also showing at the Kauai Craft Fair. “When the fish put its mouth on your hand, you just pulled it out of the water. That’s noodling, and that is the inspiration for the piece.”
Tammarine said he was surprised when one of his four pieces, “Gear Head,” earned a special award. One of the pieces that caught his eye at the show was the metal sculpture “Rooster” by Freddie Zollinger.
“This is a departure from the days he used to carve wood into boars,” Tammarine said. “I was in his studio while he was creating ‘Rooster,’ a metal sculpture, and you need to see this in light other than that in the gallery. It has veins of blue which show up.”