The Kailua Village Artists featured artist for the month of May is porcelain artist and watercolor painter Betty Gerstner. Gerstner has been a porcelain artist more than 35 years. In 2000, Gerstner began studying watercolor with some of the better
The Kailua Village Artists featured artist for the month of May is porcelain artist and watercolor painter Betty Gerstner. Gerstner has been a porcelain artist more than 35 years. In 2000, Gerstner began studying watercolor with some of the better known watercolor masters on the Big Island and now divides her time between the two mediums.
In the past few years, Gerstner has been creating her own porcelain pieces to paint. She either hand-builds a piece or casts it using a plaster mold. In most instances, after a piece is cast, Gerstner changes the original design of the piece by cutting, applying hand-formed objects or changing the form in some manner. This allows for the creation of truly unique pieces.
After the glaze firing, the piece is painted with China paint. Porcelain painting, also known as China painting is an ancient art, a process that was developed hundreds of years ago. The paint is applied to the porcelain in layers. After each paint application, the piece is fired in a kiln at about 1,450 to 1,500 degrees. The paint is translucent, so, colors from previous fires can be seen in subsequent applications of color, a finished piece may require anywhere from five to 12 “fires” in the kiln.
Gerstner’s latest watercolor painting, “There’s a Giraffe in the Nursery” is part of her “Animals in Strange Places” series. Her other painting “Tiger in your Tank” is another watercolor in this series. She painted both of these paintings first on porcelain, then created a watercolor version of them. Additional paintings in the series include “Cougar in the Sun Room” and “Lounge Leopard.” Gerstner’s diverse subjects also include tropical birds, fish, turtles, colorful flowers and points of interest of Hawaii. She also takes commissions for pet portraits. Her art studio is in the picturesque “upcountry” town of Captain Cook, where she also teaches porcelain painting classes.
Meet Gerstner and learn more about her porcelain work and watercolors at the Kailua Village Artists gallery on May 5, 19 and 29. The gallery is located at 75-5729 Alii Drive, Suite C-110 in the Kona Marketplace. It is open from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
For more information, call 329-6653.
