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10 years already! Oh my!
On June 2, 2000, I boarded an ATA (remember them?) flight at Midway Airport in Chicago and moved to O'ahu. That marked the beginning of my adventure as a full-time artist. Wow, how time flies!
Patrice Federspiel picking papayas in the backyard
Since that time I have made many new friends, learned more than I would have thought possible, eaten things I had never before heard of, seen incredible beauty, and painted more than 1,000 watercolors.

Part of me is feeling pressure to produce a smashing eZine - a greatest hits account - to give evidence that I have spent these past ten years wisely.

Another part of me wants nothing to do with this idea.

Clearly I am at war with myself. This too shall pass.

A compromise: here are just a few highlights from the last 10 years.

Here I am on the ladder picking papayas in the backyard. We don't have these in Wisconsin!

This is part of a mural I painted in 2002.

Mural of a banana grove by Patrice Federspiel

Patrice Federspiel next to banana grove mural



You're right, it's not watercolor, it's latex house paint. The Ko'olau Mountains were already painted on the staircase leading from the first floor to the second. When Stephanie invited me in to see the wall, I knew  the banana trees were needed to complete the mural.


Here's another image of me sitting next to it for scale.




Patrice Federspiel standing next to Oils she painted for Ed Olson
In 2007, builder and contractor, Ed Olson invited me to paint two tall, thin oils for his Bali-style home on the Big Island of Hawai'i.

Ed wanted to bring the feeling of the outdoors into his home. He wanted the outdoor colors to complement the dark wood in the house. Now when  Ed opens his pocket doors, the world outside and the world inside the house flow together.

The Sealing Wax Palm, one of Ed's favorites, was my inspiration.

For the most part, I have followed my heart when deciding what to paint. The flowers and plants of Hawai'i have long been a favorite subject of mine.

More than their beauty, I have been drawn to the tenacity that plants exhibit.

When driving along the volcano on Hawai'i, one can see tiny shoots of green popping up amidst the black volcanic rock along side the road - fresh life on fresh earth. Life always finds a way to thrive. Mother Nature will not be stopped. I have identified strongly with her these past ten years.

Sometime in 2007 faces started to show up in my paintings. You can see some of them in the Palm Frond Portfolio and more in the Figurative Portfolio on my website. Then, last Summer, Kuloko Arts of Hawai'i asked its artists to paint mermaids for a mermaid exhibit in June. You can see many of my mermaids in the Magical Mermaids Portfolio on my website. Here is one of my newest mermaids: "Follow Me". She will be available as a print later this month.

Mermaid with three turtles original watercolor by Patrice Federspiel

Speaking of this month... in honor of my ten-year anniversary of moving to O'ahu to become my creative "artist-self", we have entered Free Shipping June. That means that all orders from www.artofaloha.com ship to the USA ship for free during June.

If you don't like to shop online, please drop me an email (patrice@artofaloha.com) and we will figure out another way for you to take part in Free Shipping June so you can have some Art of Aloha in your life too!

Mahalo for reading my eZine and for staying in touch. Thank you for clicking on the forward button at the bottom of the eZine and sharing it with your friends. Please share this on facebook & twitter too (the icons below make it easy!).

A Hui Hou, 
two hands squeezing blood from a turnip
PS Last week I gave a talk at the Professional Women's Network luncheon at the Pacific Club in Honolulu. Click to read "Why I paint and Why should You care"

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"Vision is not enough, it must be combined with venture.
It is not enough to stare up the steps, we must step up the stairs." 
- Vaclav Havel
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two hands squeezing blood from a turnipBorn in Port Washington, WI and educated at the University of Wisconsin/Madison, Patrice Federspiel first visited Hawai'i in January 2000. Within five months she had found a way to quit her job, sell her home, and move to Hawai'i to paint.

Previously an oil painter, Patrice learned the joys of watercolor upon her arrival in Honolulu in June 2000. She has been painting full time ever since. It is her intention to live her "Real Life" creatively, from the inside out; and to inspire others, through her paintings, art lessons, words, and example, to do the same.

"I paint with passion, live without regrets, and move joyfully forward through life." -Patrice Federspiel
patrice Federspiel Patrice Federspiel
PO Box 61707
Honolulu, Hawaii 96839

(808) 392-9104

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