The Great Coloring Book Giveaway!

Win a free autographed copy!

This past week I had a great time with Katy and Emily (pictured on the left), who were in Los Angeles for a short, but lovely visit. They are very dear friends from the old middle school days on Maui, Hawaii. And now we're all grown up, stepping into adulthood together!

Also, Katy just so happens to be an amazing artist by the name of Renee K. Coates, whose Hawaii-influenced artwork can be found at her website here. Among her many creative endeavors, she recently published a coloring book! Isn't that cool? The Road to Hana tells the story of a family who explores the little town of Hana-Maui during their vacation in Hawaii. It is filled with gorgeous illustrations, and makes a perfect gift for anyone! The coloring book is available for purchase at amazon.com here. I am so proud of my friend, and thrilled that our shared background of Hawaiian life and culture is such a foundational part of her art.

Here is the good news for you, readers. Renee wants to give away a free autographed copy to one of you! That's right - you have the opportunity to receive your own copy of The Road to Hana (retailed at $11.99), sent directly from the author. Pretty much as good as winning an actual trip to Hawaii, if you ask me.

So without further ado, The Great Coloring Book Giveaway!

How can you put your name into the running for the prize? Simple! Answer the question below, either in a comment, or via email to larissalmarks (at) gmail (dot) com. Comments will close at 12pm PST on Friday, May 16th. A winner will be chosen at random, and announced here on the blog on Saturday, May 17th. Make sure you leave your name and a way to contact you if you win. And feel free to pass on the word about this, and let others know about the contest!

Here is the contest question (in the spirit of Hawaii), which you may answer however you want:

What would be your ultimate dream vacation? Where would you go, who would you take, what would you do?

Good luck!

The Chinese Art of Tea

"Popo's Teapot" - oil on canvas

In Chinese culture, tea plays a significant role. The preparation and serving of tea is a deep-rooted tradition that is often a metaphor for honor, respect, submission, gratitude, love and family. People make serious apologies by serving another tea as a sign of regret and humility. In the traditional Chinese wedding ceremony, the bride and groom serve their parents tea out of honor and gratitude. Families will gather to drink tea, and to pass down culture and tradition to the younger generation. Tea is ingrained in many important facets of Chinese heritage.

This past summer I visited my grandmother. One day as she was lamenting all of the clutter in her house that she was trying to sort through, she asked me if I wanted to have one of her teapots. Yes, yes I would, I said (sidenote: when a Chinese grandmother offers you something, you take it). The teapot that she delicately removed from a basket was beautiful. It was gold-plated porcelain, painted with intricate designs of dragons and clouds. It was used, but not worn...just well loved as evidenced by some small tea stains on the inside. "This was actually your great-grandmother's before she gave it to me," my grandmother said as she put it in my hands.

There was something profound for me in that moment. Growing up as a fourth generation Chinese in Hawaii, much of my family's original Chinese heritage has been forgotten. But as my grandmother handed me this teapot that had belonged first to my great-grandmother and then her, I felt a sense of connection to my family, and to previous generations of Chinese, all linked through culture and tradition and legacy. Thank you, Popo.

Restoration for the Soul

"Bamboo" - oil on canvas

In need of some deep physical, emotional and spiritual restoration, I am headed to Catalina Island for a few days of personal retreat this weekend. I am looking forward to having space to just be. To be still, to have silence and solitude, to enjoy nature, to do things that are life-giving. I desperately long to become a person who abides in God and experiences his peace and provision and freedom and grace. I am so far from being that person, but I hope that taking this retreat will help propel me in that direction.

A Weekend of Rest and Art

Steve was gone all weekend on a camping trip. I spent the last few days doing all sorts of fun things, like thrift store shopping, seeing Harry Potter, gardening, making homemade bath salts, and painting.

I have been teaching myself how to paint with oils for the last year or two, and I love it. It's such a wonderful, restful activity. I haven't had time or energy to paint in the last few months, so with all this free time, I sort of went buck wild. I set up a mini studio on the porch, which worked out well. That is until a random old man passing by on the sidewalk stopped for this lovely conversation.

Old Man: Hey...you painting over there?
Me: Yup.
Old Man: Bet you're real good. Bet it's real nice.
Me: Thanks.
Old Man: Bet it's as nice you.
Me: (pause) Thanks.
Old Man: You look real pretty today.
Me: (silence)

Yay. Do NOT get me started on the frustrations of pleasant conversations with strangers turning into creepy, inappropriate interactions.

The rest of my painting session was quite fun, and a much needed time of soul restoration. Here's what I created...

"Wine and Glass"

"Martini with an Olive"

"Azure Horizon"

"Tree of Hope"

The first two are part of my Drinks Series, which I plan to add a few more pieces to later. The other two, Azure Horizon and Tree of Hope are more meaningful, and both capture some significant parts of me and my life. I currently have all sorts of painting projects in my head, so hopefully I'll be able to do more soon. You can find other paintings here.

You Call That Art?

One of my new life dreams is to own an art gallery. I'll add that to the list after "write and illustrate a children's book," and "get recognized on IMDb.com as a cast member."

This past week I explored LA's Downtown Art Walk. On the second Thursday of every month from noon to 9pm, the Art Walk welcomes people into some of the city's best galleries, museums and art venues for free. I spent a few hours roaming the various galleries, and thoroughly loved the entire experience. The art ranged from the excruciatingly pretentious (i.e. one exhibit featured a three-inch piece of rope nailed to a blank wall) to the thought-provoking and inspiring.

In any case, it was just refreshing to be surrounded by an array of creative expression and voices. I want to make more space for art in my life.