Ferrill is visiting artist

SPECIAL TO WEST HAWAII TODAY

The Holualoa Foundation for Arts and Culture announces the receipt of an award from the Laila Twigg-Smith Art Fund of the Hawaii Community Foundation. The successful proposal, “Making Waves: Art as Social Change,” brings three premier artists to work in Hawaii as artists-in-residence.

The next visiting artist will be Elizabeth Ferrill, from Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Colorado. She will be the guest artist at an aloha-style potluck and artist talk from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the Donkey Mill Art Center in Holualoa. This free and open to the public event will be followed by a three-day workshop, Jan. 20 to 22. Tuition for the workshop is $225.

Ferrill specializes in the pochoir printmaking method. This is a simple and beautiful way to layer forms, create pattern and build a matte surface using water-soluble gouache. The tradition of pochoir will be explored as a way to create unique yet reproducible images and to hand color prints and drawings with saturated, velvety, flat blocks of color. Students will experiment with ways to apply gouache to make both transparent and opaque effects, practice fading and blending, and stenciling onto alternative surfaces.

The Laila Twigg-Smith award is given to nonprofit organizations that aim to nurture and promote Hawaii as a global center for the exchange of contemporary art and artists. The fund supports projects and initiatives that afford artists opportunities to immerse themselves in new environments and to absorb different influences. The award was founded by the late Laila Twigg-Smith. She was an accomplished artist, collector and founder of the Contemporary Museum on Oahu. Her ambition was always to inspire creativity, to be a catalyst, to galvanize action, to effect change and to make a difference.

The artistic intention of “Making Waves: Art as Social Change” is to provide a forum for artists, students and community members to gain a deeper understanding of how nonverbal expression impacts society. This artist-in-residence program will explore the idea that art has the power to challenge assumptions and encourage transformation. The program will provide a variety of opportunities for people of all ages and abilities to work with premier artists and expand their own innovative approach to making art.

The mission of the Holualoa Foundation for Arts and Culture, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, is to enrich the lives of individuals of all ages and abilities through art education. The foundation operates the Donkey Mill Art Center, a gathering place for all to explore, expand and develop their artistic selves in a supportive community. The mill is located three miles south of Holualoa on Mamalahoa Highway.

For more information, visit donkeymillartcenter.org or call 322-3362 for more information.