These workshops are perfect for the vacationers who are looking for a unique experience and want to take home a special souvenir that they created. Please check the "Class Schedule" on this website for more information.
One day workshops are now available at Art E Studio. There are four different paintings to choose from. Two more will be added in the next few weeks. One of the workshops is two hours long, two are three hour workshops and one is a four hour workshop. All workshops include canvas and supplies. These workshops are perfect for the vacationers who are looking for a unique experience and want to take home a special souvenir that they created. Please check the "Class Schedule" on this website for more information.
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On April 11th 2015, I had the honor of doing a book signing at Barnes & Noble in Lahaina Maui. The staff at Barnes & Noble was so nice and helpful. They did a great job of setting me up and making announcements over the PA system every 15 minutes. Thank you Barnes & Noble for making me feel so welcomed and special. On April 18th 2015, I did a book signing under the Banyan Tree in Lahaina as part of the "Banyan Tree Birthday" Celebration. Lynn Donovan, Executive Director of Lahaina Town Action Committee, Had a table set up for me in front of the Old Court House and right next to the stage. I had the best seat for all the great entertainment that was happening all day. The "Banyan Tree is probably the most famous landmark in Lahaina, it was planted in 1873. Making it 142 years old! It's also my most favorite tree in the world. The day was perfect, full of happy people all enjoying the entertainment, the art fair under the tree and the great big birthday cake. I enjoyed talking with lots of people from all over the US, Canada and Europe. Maui is a magical place, I love it here!
February is a great time to be on Maui. Lots of fun adventures and things to do all month long. One of February's events I'm looking forward to is Maui Open Studios. I've been working on new paintings, rearranging the art on my walls and organizing my studio. I bought new shelves to help with the organization which has given me more room and has added a little more color. Not that my studio needed more hehehe. I have plenty of copies my book, "The Art of Painting in Acrylic" in stock for those who wish a signed copy. And I'll be showing my new line of paintings for the first time. The weekend my studio will be open is Feb 7TH & 8TH from 11 to 6PM. For more information go to Maui Open Studios Oh, one more thing! How do you like the new look of my website? On the evening of August 20th 2014, I had my first book signing. Maria Phillips (pictured above) helped me put it together. I am so grateful to her and all the Avenue 9 Gallery guild members for hosting this event. I was pretty nervous at first but looking out at all my friends and students helped me relax. Seeing all those familiar faces was so wonderful. I talked about how I was contacted by the Editor of Walter Foster Publishing and read the email she sent on Nov 25, 2013. In the picture above I'm showing one of the paintings I did. Here I'm surrounded by wonderful friends and students. I loved seeing everyone of them and giving them all hugs! I was more nervous about signing the books then I was talking about it. I spelt a lot of words wrong in a lot of books!
All in all, the event went really well. It was so good to see everyone. Two years went by fast! After a very long journey my book has arrived. I am so excited to be able to hold this book in my hands. Look, see that image I'm pointing to? That is my painting. I'm on the cover! The long journey that started back in November 25th 2013 has come to a rest for the moment. Seeing, touching and smelling this book has given me chicken skin (as they say here in Hawaii, goosebumps on the mainland), all over my body. Walter Foster Publishing has done a marvelous job putting this book together. They found 6 artists who's works blend well together. I'm having a hard time putting this book down! I want to keep touching it to assure myself that it is real. I really am one of the authors, I really do have four paintings featured in this book. I'm not dreaming!!!! In just a few weeks I'll be doing my first book signing in Chico California at Avenue 9 Gallery.
Two years ago, when I left Chico to move to Maui, I knew a great adventure was waiting for me. Little did I know just how great it would be! I'm only giving you a little taste of what's in this book. If you want to see the rest come by my studio or order one of your own. In my last blog post I talked about the book I'm featured in "The Art of Painting in Acrylic" published by Walter Foster. In this blog I'm going to give you a link for a "sneak peek" of the book. But first I want to share with you a little story.
As a child I had a dream about being famous. My parents use to ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I always answered "I'm going to be famous". So my parents put me into ballet class along with my sister. I hated it, she loved it. I quit after 6 months. Next I as given flute lessons, I hated it and again quit just after a few weeks ( good thing they just rented the flute ). My passion as a child was singing. I could see myself singing on stage, with a band and by myself. I started singing in my school choir in the second grade. By middle school I was singing in both the school choir and church choir. By my freshmen year in high school I was in three school choirs and two church choirs. All through my childhood years I'd ask for voice lessons. Every time I asked I was told not yet. My family moved to Tahoe just weeks before my freshmen year ended. The new school I went to didn't have a choir program. My heart sunk. There were no voice teachers any where in Tahoe at the time. I felt angry and frustrated because my dream of being famous was disappearing right before my eyes. I stopped singing and I rebelled. Years later in my thirties, after a couple of failed marriages and four kids, I gave myself the one thing I had wanted most as a child, voice lessons. But by then I knew my dream of being a famous singer was over. What I got instead was empowerment. I gave myself back the power to control my destiny and that has changed my life. When talking to my parents the other day they reminded me of my childhood desire of being famous and said I was on my way. I don't know about that. What I do know is fame comes in many forms at different times in each of our lives. Some of us will be famous for 15 minutes, some for a life time. What matters most to me now is I'm famous in the hearts of my family and that makes me happy. Now for the link to the "Sneak Peek" of The Art of Painting in Acrylic A new book about painting with acrylics is due out August 1,2014. The Title of the book is "Art of Painting in Acrylic" published by Walter Foster Publishing. This book is super exciting because it will be featuring four of my paintings. I've been working hard the last two months in both painting and writing the step by step instructions on how to paint my four paintings. The photo here is the reference shot I used for the first painting. All four paintings will be unveiled on Feb 22-23 in my studio for Maui Open Studio Tour. After that I'll post images here and on my website, daricemachel.com Anyone wanting to pre-order a book let me know. I'll add your name to the list. I'm just now getting around to writing my "Year in Review" for 2013 and boy, what a great year it was. January started out great. Charlie and I went on our first whale watching boat saw lots of whales and got to hear them sing. We are both in love with whales now. I met two T.V. stars from "Storage Wars". Darrel and Brandon, the father and son team. One of the great things about living in a popular resort/vacation destination place is you never know who you might run into. Maybe this year I'll meet Oprah, one can only hope :-).
Continuing on with my review, I started and finished the first of 28 paintings I did for the year ranging in sizes 11x14 and up. Twelve of those were oil paintings. Mid January I received a call from a book author wanting to use my "Diamond Head" painting for the cover of his book. He was in an arguement with his publishing agency over what should be on the cover, he wanted my painting, they wanted a photograph. The publisher won. Oh well, sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. February, March and April I stayed pretty busy with board meetings, planning fund raiser events for Lahiana Arts Association (LAA) and helping with the annual high school art competition and scholarship program. March was also the month I tripped on a crack in the side walk, fell on my face and ended up with 4 stitches where my teeth went through my upper lip, two black eyes and a very soar wrist. I looked like I had been in a boxing match. I healed pretty quickly for the most part. May was very exciting. I went to Florida for my second child, oldest daughter's wedding. My youngest daughter and her husband and their two boys went as well. We had a great family vacation. Did an air boat ride in the everglades, saw alligators and met another T.V. star, this one was from "Gator Boys", only she was a girl. May, June and July brought more board meetings, LAA teacher meetings fund raisers and art shows. Sold "Misty Hills" in June. Was excited to have my friend Tatum visit mid July and went to my third child's wedding in Truckee/Tahoe at the end of the month. In August I managed to get my miniature paintings into Kaukini Gallery, making that the third gallery displaying and selling my work in Maui. I also entered the Lahaina poster contest and won the "Lahaina Arts Societies" award for my "Lahaina Harbor" painting. I received a $200 cash prize. Not bad for my first competition on Maui. By September I settled into a nice routine. Painting oil paintings or teaching on Mondays, painting miniatures on Tuesday and Thursdays, work at Village Gallery gift shop on Wednesdays, teach on Fridays and play on the weekend. Boy life is good on Maui. My newest grand daughter was born on October 22. I can't wait to meet her. November I was busy with planning and running the silent auction for LAA (Lahaina Arts Association). And I received an email from the senior editor of Walter Foster Publishing, asking me if I would be interested in doing 4 step by step (instruction) paintings for a new book they are working on. My response after reading the email 5 times, reading it to Charlie and pinching myself a few times was, "yes, I'd love to". In December I was voted in as President of LAA. Like I said at the beginning of this blog, "boy what a great year"! My current miniatures on display at Village Gallery & Gifts.
Today I worked on three new ones for Kaukini Gallery. These little guys are pretty popular here in Maui. Which makes me very happy. Village Gallery in Lahaina put on "The Big Little Show" in December to end the year in a Big Little way. 25 Artists were asked to contribute small works no bigger the 8x10. Eight of my miniature paintings made it into the show. The opening reception was on December 13th. A large turn out of artists, clients, customers and visiting tourists came to enjoy the small works, wine, food and music.
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