Hoppy Smith Show Starting August 10, 2013

Kiawe trees spring from sandy soil on fingers of volcanic rock reaching into the sea. Lei of twisted ferns and flowers, bowls of clear glass balls gathered along the seashore are among the dreamy, nostalgic photographic images created by printmaker Hoppy Smith for her upcoming show at PLACE, Le Jardin Galerie opening Saturday, August 10, 2013.

We invite you to come see the show anytime during regular store hours. In addition, we are delighted to announce Hoppy Smith will be joining us in person at the Galerie for show & tell with etching plates and ice tea.

Show & Tell Times:

Saturday, August 10^th 10:00 am - Noon

Wednesday, August 14^th 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm

Smith grew up near New York City and attended college in Colorado, but when she met fellow student and Kauai native Peter Smith her world changed. He brought his young bride to Hawaii in 1960 and she fell in love with all things Hawaiian.

As a child, she dreamt of becoming a fashion designer or cartoon artist, but while taking an art class in college she was introduced to what she thought was a piece of abstract art. It turned out to be an enlarged picture of a square inch of grass. Nature itself was abstract she learned. There was no need to alter it any further.

Like many women at the time, Smith put her creative endeavors on the back burner and spent her energy raising her children. But in 1982 she enrolled in a printmaking class at the Honolulu Academy of Arts (now the Honolulu Museum of Art) taught by Dodie Warren.

“Dodie is an expert printmaker and excellent teacher,” says Smith. She has been taking the same course over and over again since then, learning all the intaglio etching methods such as photogravure and photo etching. Over time she experimented with new ideas and methods for her prints also learning to do woodcuts.

Now widowed, Smith keeps busy paddling canoe for Lanikai Canoe Club and making art. Her friend, David Porteus, introduced her to his family’s oceanside property, Kiholo, on the Kona coast that still retains the feeling of Old Hawaii. This area has inspired much of her current work.

Most of Smith images are reasonably priced and fit into standard sized frames, making it easy to find a place for them to hang in homes and offices. A few of the framed pieces are custom sized.

PLACE, Le Jardin Galerie is located at 54 South School St. There is parking next door.