WE LAUNCH "COLOURS OF FIJI"

We're finally there!  This evening we unveil a project that has been in the making for several weeks now: our new online store: COLOURS OF FIJI!  

Hosted by the internationally renowned internet portal Zazzle.com, COLOURS OF FIJI provides the first-ever opportunity for art-lovers to purchase gift items featuring selected paintings from the wide range of original, Fiji-inspired works of art that I have created over the years.

From colourful tote bags to trendy iPhone decals to durable aprons and eye-catching coffee mugs, we hope there’ll be something of interest to everyone here!

http://www.zazzle.com/fijicolours

http://www.zazzle.com/fijicolours

This store, and the gifts you will find here, is dedicated to everyone who has a special place in their hearts for Fiji. For all those who call Fiji their home, especially those whose journey has taken you far from our beautiful shores: I hope my designs, with their vibrant tropical colors, will be a celebration of your Pacific connections, wherever you may be... For those who have visited our South Sea islands and have left a piece of your heart here, I hope "Colours of Fiji" will help to keep wonderful memories alive!

 
Here’s a preview of what you will find when you visit us at www.zazzle.com/fijicolours.
 
<embed wmode="transparent" src="http://www.zazzle.com/utl/getpanel?zp=117184999733621727" FlashVars="feedId=117184999733621727" width="450" height="300" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed><br/>See other <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/christmas+gifts">gifts</a> available on Zazzle.<br />




We will be adding fresh items to our product range at “COLOURS OF FIJI” as the days go by.  Your comments and suggestions would be much appreciated!

REFUGE

I thought I had lost this small painting, entitled "REFUGE" when a fire at our local arts center last month turned beautiful works of art, valuable equipment, hard-earned resources, our pottery library, and files full of important records into smouldering heaps of ash.  It is still hard to come to terms with the destruction of a place my husband and I had worked so hard to build up, along with many of our fellow artists and art-lovers.

As I walked through the gutted rooms of the Arts Centre the day after the fire, I discovered "REFUGE", along with several other original works of art, still safe and sound in the corner of a room that had escaped major damage from both flames and fireman's hose.  A small bright spot in the middle of a dark day...

"REFUGE" was painted in acrylics on traditional Fijian masi, a thick, cloth-like paper made from the inner bark of tropical mulberry trees.  I mounted the painting on a 15 x 15 inch board which was covered in scraps of recycled masi to create an organic texture, then painted white.

 

Here's what I wrote about "REFUGE":

While not exactly the idyllic white sandy beaches the tourists are after, the mangrove swamps that fringe Fiji’s coast in many areas are vital to the well being of our ecosystems.  Tangles of tall, arching aerial roots provide a natural refuge for breeding fish, crabs, and other marine organisms that are part of the local food chain.  Mangroves also protect coastal land from wave and storm surge erosion.  Yet in many parts of Fiji, developers are clearing away these vital natural habitats to make way for yet another hotel or factory!  “Refuge” was painted as a reminder that our planet will only continue to be a safe haven for all of us if ‘progress’ means respecting and caring for our natural environment.

Happily, "REFUGE" was only back in our studio for a couple of weeks before it caught the eye of a visiting art buyer.  Now that the original has left our shores, I have made this work of art available as a museum-quality art print through my page on Fine Art America.  Click on the link below for details...

SEE PRINT AND GREETING CARD OPTIONS

CREATIVE JUICES FLOW DURING LIBRARY WEEK!

Spent an interesting afternoon assisting as a judge for an art competition staged in our town hall as part of National Library Week celebrations today...  Small teams of children from Nadi’s various primary schools took part in creating works of art made from found objects and recycled materials.  Each entry had to portray, in some way, the theme of this year’s Library Week, which is “Reading Unlocks the Future”.  The children were given two hours to complete their project from start to finish.  They had to bring all their own materials with them, so the exercise required quite a bit of planning ahead on their part!

Fellow judges Aseri Yabakivou and Akosita Lovodua and I were kept busy moving from table to table, observing the thirteen teams in action.  We were very impressed with the level of creativity we saw all around the room!  Most children around here have little access to standard art materials, and the teaching of the arts is not given much attention in our local schools.  Yet here they were, making the most of what they had, and coming up with some quirky, original concepts!

 

 

Well done to all these budding young artists - you made our day!!