Nature-based exhibit mixes fun, serenity

Sculptor Jackie Mild-Lau saw the recent Midwestern storms, as disastrous as they were, as something inspirational.

"It’s devastating for people to lose everything; on the other hand, it’s a chance for a new beginning," she said. "Perhaps it’s the earth’s way of renewing itself."

So she came up with "When Blows the Wind," a whimsical depiction of a man who looks as though he’s being blown backward by a strong gust of wind. It’s the title work of a show on exhibit at the art cooperative Gallery at Ward Centre.

Painter Debbie Young, a fellow co-op member, shares the space with a collection of seascapes titled "Ka Leo o ke Kai" (The Voice of the Ocean).

Though the tone of the "When Blows the Wind" piece is light — the man carries an umbrella in one hand and a chicken in the other, his loose limbs in full extension — the sculpture required serious technical work because the figure’s sole connection to anything stable is a single foot that rests delicately on the back of a tipping chair.

"It’s a bit of a trick to get it to stay in balance and stay in place," Mild-Lau said.

She got the idea from a photo of a man who was "just clowning around" with an umbrella, acting as if he was being blown around by the wind. The chicken is a reference to the chickens that got loose on Kauai during Hurricane Iniki in 1992, she said.

Like an observational comic, Mild-Lau often finds inspiration in everyday things. She reads the sports section of the newspaper "a lot more than I used to, because they’re doing interesting things, in active poses," she said.

She also incorporates her work into everyday activities, carrying wax wherever she goes to make a figurine of whatever catches her attention. In fact, she spends the long hours on airplane trips shaping wax, often to the amusement of the person in the neighboring seat.

Other works in her exhibit include a playful dog, its ears flapping, and a happy hula dancer.

On a more serious note is "Downhill from Here," a depiction of the temptation of Eve that refers to the plight of women. The work is less about wind and "more about precariousness and balance," Mild-Lau said.

YOUNG’S PAINTINGS are serene portrayals of the ocean inspired by her personal connection to the water — she swims two miles in the ocean five days a week — and an interisland cruise she recently took.

"I’d be up early watching the ocean, listening to her voice," she said.

Though Young calls her paintings abstract, the undulating blend of shades of blue and aqua appears remarkably realistic as well. "You’re taking the big plunge right into it," she said.

"Some of these are plein-air paintings, out on the beach," she said. "I painted them out in nature, which is a wonderful experience.

"In the studio, because I paint so much outside, I can take that recollection and that feeling which I want to interpret, and maybe the viewer will see what I was seeing, feel what I was feeling and just feel the emotion of the motion of the ocean."