Pair of O'ahu shows offer contrasting approaches

By Virginia Wageman
Advertiser Art Critic

"Listening" is the title of Gail Gauldie's small one-person show at the Queen Emma Gallery. If one listens carefully, what may be heard is the silent but eloquent voice of the artworks she has created.

•	Gail Gauldie Queen Emma Gallery Through Aug. 5 537-7167 Association of Hawai'i Artists Ho'omaluhia Botanical Gardens Through July 28 233-7323

The primary figurative elements are symbols of communication: words in the English language as well as marks used for language in other cultures. Many of these are painted over or obscured by collaged elements or otherwise indecipherable, and it is not so much the word or symbol that communicates as it is the idea of the word or symbol.

The words are in the form of calligraphic scribblings; a word or so can be made out here and there, such as "worlds apart" and "there is silence." These phrases no doubt resonate for the artist; for the viewer they are signs of a language or indicators of communication.

Like the writing, symbols such as X's, concentric circles, and the like appear in all the works, strongly graphic in some, like "New Life" and "Language," more subtle or obscured in others.

In a statement accompanying the exhibition, fiber artist Pat Hickman, a former teacher of Gauldie's at the University of Hawai'i, suggests that viewers "ponder and imagine, adding yet more layers to this body of work."

For some, the work titled "Listen When I'm Talking," with a rusted metal bar attached, may suggest a sense of confinement or imprisonment.

"He Lived His Life Well," with burned wood and netting like a shroud, would seem to have funereal overtones. These works evoke many ideas, with no one interpretation more valid than another.

Nearly all of the works involve stitching one section to another. One work, titled "Memory Quilt" — the centerpiece (and masterpiece) of the show — is a kind of crazy quilt of fabrics that have been painted and written over. They are pieced together with golden thread, again a signifier of connection or communication.

Gauldie received a master's of fine arts degree from UH-Manoa in 1997 and returns regularly to teach papermaking during the university's summer sessions.

Anniversary show

The Association of Hawai'i Artists, celebrating its 75th year, is the oldest arts organization in the state. Diverse in membership, it encourages artwork in all media.

For its anniversary exhibition, at Ho'omaluhia Botanical Gardens in Kane'ohe, it selected "The Sky's the Limit" as the theme, suggesting a broad range of subjects and media. But the works exhibited pretty much stick to the traditional landscape/seascape/floral subjects, with a few 3D pieces thrown in for good measure.

Among the 20 artists in the show, four stand out, and these are the ones who won the top awards as well. They are Susie Anderson, Satoko Dung, Fong Ling, and Warren Stenberg.

Anderson's "Spirit Sky," a large oil painting noteworthy for its expressionistic depiction of swirling clouds, won best in show. Equally lovely is her "Diamond Head Sentry," which perfectly captures the clear bright light of a sun-drenched scene.

Dung's "Bird of Paradise Flowers," which was awarded third place, is a wonderful watercolor of a floral subject verging on abstraction, with lots going on in the background and vivid with action. Equally exuberant is her "Nostalgic Fantasy," a mixed media work with paint, collage and sparkles.

Fong Ling has three splendid pastels in the show, including an exquisite rendering of freshly cracked eggs swimming in a bowl, their yellow yolks rich and shimmery (winner of the award of excellence).

Stenberg was awarded second place for "Waialua Sentinels," a superbly painted landscape with a row of trees bordering a field of gently waving grass. He has two other paintings in the show, one of them an intriguing abstraction suggestive of light and seascape elements.

Other works that particularly stand out are Chih Chieh Chang's "Lion Dance," a delightful sculptural group modeled from brightly colored clay; Connie Henning-Chilton's "Backlight," a beautiful watercolor of orchids; and Kenn Sprague's three raku masks, titled "We Three Kings."

Jurors for the show, Daisy Holzman and John Wisnosky, selected just 29 pieces from more than 85 submitted. This critical selection assured tighter control over quality than is often the case with such group shows — something to be appreciated by viewer and critic alike.

Intended to provide an art forum for the community, the Association of Hawai'i Artists welcomes new members, both practicing artists and patrons of the arts.

For information, write to the association at P.O. Box 10202, Honolulu, HI 96816.

Virginia Wageman can be reached at VWageman@aol.com.