Pen Women combine writing, art, music

By Victoria Gail-White
Advertiser Art Critic

•	Brushes With Diversity Honolulu Branch of the National League of American Pen Women Juried Exhibit Through June 27 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Friday Honolulu Country Club Art Gallery, 1690 Ala Pu'umalu Street Open to the public; guest parking available; lunch reservations possible, call Melvin Ho at 441-9408

Founded by a distinguished group of women journalists in Washington, D.C., in 1897, the organization now boasts 5,000 members throughout its 200 branches. Through monthly meetings, conferences, art exhibits, retreats and networking, the organization supports a lively group of professional women writers, artists and composers.

Elsha Bohnert (also known as Alshaa T. Rayne), president of the local chapter, is a pumping powerhouse of vitality and has given the Honolulu Pen Women (founded in 1924) the transfusion it needed to advance into the new millennium.

Avant-garde, politically active, creative and visionary, Bohnert encouraged friends and fellow creatives to join the oldest operating artists' organization in Hawai'i.

Having restored and refueled the local league with new memberships, Bohnert says, "Now, I just play."

She has another year to complete her term, with Sabra Feldstein as vice president and a strong steering committee to keep the vehicle moving.

"Brushes With Diversity" was juried by Kit Kowalke. "Juried" is a loose term in this context. "Curated" probably would be more appropriate, because the Pen Women already are juried into the organization.

Members were given the opportunity to submit up to three works, with the knowledge that at least one of the works would be selected for the show.

The 15 artists exhibiting are: Yasuko Abeshima, Susie Y. Anderson, Pat Boyle, Pat Carelli, Feldstein, Gloria Foss, Rita J. Gustie, Gayle Hazlehurst, Helen C. Iaea, Kaethe Kauffman, Margaret McMillan, Betty Pearson, Alshaa T. Rayne, Ann Schwab and Elizabeth Train.

Best in Show was awarded to Feldstein for "Circus," an acrylic on paper.

Feldstein's initial motivation for the work came out of a desire to transform the pain of a debilitating bicycle accident.

Reds, oranges and yellows dominate this abstract painting that reveals the faint outline of a man with a hat. From a distance, the soft greens worked into the central body of the composition appear to open up into another dimension, a forest clearing perhaps. "Circus" has a timeless quality and has the ability to grow and change with repeated viewings.

"Because this is a dark time in our history, I started thinking about the purpose of art," says Feldstein. "What are we contributing? If we can bring some joy and transform somebody's mood or attitude just by experiencing a piece, then that is really important to me."

She found that her work changed from her focus on personal issues to a desire to redirect her energy to inspire the viewer to feel good.

But Feldstein is no stranger to spreading joy. She spent two years in Bosnia teaching art to the children of refugees and orphans of war.

"There was so much destruction there," she says. "I realized that I needed to put on another pair of glasses, to source something else besides the sorrow."

With her 20-year background in production pottery, Feldstein's paintings are a new road in the right direction.

Abeshima won an award of merit for "Croton-Segment," a connected series of nine postcard-size watercolors radiant with color.

Abeshima, who has been painting since she was 3 years old, uses layers of watercolors to achieve the rich intensity of color saturation that her paintings project. And they project from a distance.

Educated and tutored in art and music in Japan, Abeshima continued studying art at the University of Hawai'i and the Honolulu Academy of Arts.

An award-winning member of the Watercolor Society, she says, "I paint for my own satisfaction. I don't paint for other people."

Honorable Mention was awarded to Boyle for her mixed collage "Oh Sure, There's Always Hope." In a muted palette with the blurred shape of a figure holding a banner and a stairway leading up to the light, it addresses our human connection to wishing for positive outcomes.

"We are always out there with our banner," says Boyle. "And we are always looking for the light."

Boyle is also the secretary of the Pen Women and the gallery director in this new venue for art exhibitions.

Artists interested in submitting proposals for art shows should contact her at 627-0095.

For more information about the Honolulu Branch of the National League of American Pen Women visit www.nlapwhonolulu.org.

Rayne, who creates sculptures with found objects, did not win an award, but her piece, "Buddha-buddy," is worth mentioning.

Inside a wire shopping cart, atop an orange shag carpet, a Buddha sits on fabric with a piggy bank in hand and a glow-in-the-dark glass apple on his head.

Glittery tassels, pompons and strips of rag encircle the statue. Painted postcards hang in a line, like laundry, from the handle.

It is a garish shrine with a great message. We could all use some portable reminders of faith at this time.

Rayne is a master when it comes to putting together the most unlikely things in a humorous way.