Honestly I never knew taking a painting class while on vacation could be so fun and rewarding…read more Hawaii is such a beautiful place and sometimes you search for other things to do off the beaten path. This is definitely it! What a way to change the pace. Relax, get into the vibe of the island and do what you came to do. Unwind. When you're here book a session take some memorabilia home maybe even buy a painting or two and capture the vacation by using your own creativity. I highly recommend this and you guys should absolutely try a painting class while you're on vacation with Marionette.

Easily my favorite activity on our most recent visit to Kauai…read more I had bookmarked the Painting Paradise site years ago on our last interisland trip, but couldn't make one of the classes work within our schedule - was really hoping to do silk scarf painting. So I was thrilled when I saw that we would be on island for an acrylic pouring class! I emailed Marionette and signed up - the interaction was easygoing and friendly. The building is easy to find - just walk towards the back and her studio is on the left. I arrived super early, but other class members were already there. That gave me time to make some coffee (she has a Keurig in the corner) and peruse her art displayed around the outside, as well as chat with Marionette and other classmates. We had a relatively small class - maybe six of us, which gave us a good amount of room in which to work. Marionette demonstrated some techniques for us, which we then did, and then gave us the freedom to do whatever techniques we liked best. We did five 5x7 prints on yupo paper. There were plenty of materials to share and the camaraderie among the groups in class was great - we all encouraged each other every time we did a pour. The class is perfect for beginners - if you can stir paint in a cup and pour it out, you can do acrylic pouring. Such impressive results for minimal effort! Since our prints had a lot of paint on them, we needed to let them dry for a few days. For those of us who were leaving before they were ready, Marionette took our addresses and sent our prints to us a few days later. Mine arrived in excellent condition and very well-secured. She also sells originals, prints, and cards of her own work, mostly watercolor but not exclusively. She hosts many workshops, and is happy to host custom workshops or lessons for any size group if her class schedule doesn't mesh with yours. I am very much looking forward to returning for another workshop with her!

The private workshop that I booked for my group of friends superseded my expectations. It was…read moreAMAZING !! Our instructor Irina started off the workshop with such amazing vibes and taught us how to make a lei po'o. Class was about 2.5 hours and you were able to take your time to create your own masterpiece! I would recommend it to everyone that wants to learn how to make a proper lei and take home a little bit of the Hawaiian culture/knowledge with them!

Irina and her daughter hosted our Lei Po'o workshop. They were both so friendly and kind. Irina…read moretook the time at the beginning of our workshop to share with us the history and culture of making Lei. She took the time to bring our family and friends closer by sharing our purpose and bringing meaning to our time together. It was a special bonding moment. We had both men and women make lei po'o. I know our guys were skeptical at first but they all really enjoyed the experience as well. I wore my lei po'o for my wedding the next day and to other events during our stay. This was an experience our friends and family will not forget that let us experience culture and build memories together!

Gorgeous place with a lovely ambiance. It feels like stepping into someone's artistic workspace…read more The service was very friendly, and most importantly, the coffee tasted amazing

From the owner: We are a community center, art galley, and coffee shop in the heart of Waimea town. Come by and be…read morewith community!

Shop was relocated to area from bigger shop. A bit hidden but very unique products. Definitely…read moreworth stopping in for a peek.

This amazing pottery studio is hidden away off the main highway. There is a sign to turn down a…read morenarrow drive and the studio is a shack in the back. Free parking in front of the studio. Please note that the pottery here is not cheap but is unlike any other pottery you may have seen. We were immediately greeted and had a tour of the open air studio. I bought a mug and it is amazing.

Great little museum stocked full of Kauai history. It will take you about 2 hours and you do need…read moreto take your time. Very clean and nice gift shop. Your ticket is good for another visit within the week. Very educational on not just Kauai but also Hawaii in general.

This museum is full of great exhibits, but it was so crowded the day we went due to rain! There…read morewere areas I would have loved to be a little bit more spread out so we could take it all in as my two sons (8 and 12) are huge history buffs and could have spent hours looking at every single artifact. My father instilled a true appreciation for Hawaiian culture and history in me and I'm proud that my sons are taking interest as well. This museum spans many aspects so get ready to go slow and enjoy. We appreciated so much of this museum and wish everyone visits when they come to Kauai!

I recently took Wendy's wonderful watercolor class at her lovely studio while I was visiting…read morePrinceville in Kuaii. I loved how generous she was with showing us her techniques on doing flowers and sand and sky and sea.. We were each given a palette and paint, brushes and water and ideas galore. Her studio is full of her inspiring beautiful colorful artwork. This was my first watercolor class ever and I liked it so much I took a second one with Wendy and finished an 8x10 watercolor that I actually really like and have it on my wall at home. Of course it was based on one of Wendy's watercolor paintings which she let us use in her class to learn the technique.. It was really fun and inspiring and I want to go back and do a week long painting retreat with her when and if she ever does one!? .The price was super reasonable for a two hour class.

My friends and I met Wendy at the San Francisco airport while waiting for our flight to Kauai. She…read moregave us her card and we thought that a water color painting class sounded like fun. We called her up a couple of days later on a rainy day and entered "Wendy's World". We all had a great time and all of of paintings were great! Thanks Wendy for a fun day!

We popped in here for a quick music experience and left with a UBass!…read more The young guy negotiated the price and it was similar to that on Amazon.... It was a little bit more, but that's OK because it was a small shop and we didn't mind contributing to a small business. The young guy there is very friendly and knowledgeable and super nice. I would highly recommend buying one of their shaker eggs, these are legit. They have a really nice selection of ukuleles - if you're in the market.

Great little music shop in Hanalei. They had a lot of pretty ukeleles and a variety of small…read moreinstruments that make for great souvenirs and gifts. I ended up getting my niece a Pellet Drum and I can't wait for her to annoy the crap out of my brother. There was only one employee working and he was great. He knew exactly what I was doing with my purchase, which we laughed about. He told me I wasn't the first to buy one for the same purpose. He was great to talk to and very chill, just playing his music. I didn't feel pressured to buy anything from him at all.

Cleanliness is very poor. There were dead flies on some of the ceramic art. The frames were dusty…read more It smelled of food. Super gross gallery. A plug in would help although it's better not to eat in the lobby area. I noticed tables and chairs outside that can be utilized if no employee lounge is available. Perhaps the inattentive staff could spend time dusting while simultaneously droning on about childhood hardship? Just an idea. Even volunteers can be fired. The Artists deserve better and so do potential customers. We were hoping to find a piece and were very disappointed in the ambiance .

A community art center with changing shows that features only Kaua`i artists. A great place to…read moreview original paintings, ceramics and other 3d artwork.

We initially visited Banana Patch Studio to purchase some ceramic display plaques/coasters for…read morefamily members but noticed the lovely Hawaiian Wedding Blessing. We recently got married so loved the idea of getting it customized. Best of all, we were able to ship our order altogether with our other purchases when the customized plaque would be ready to ship. We appreciated the convenience since were headed to our honeymoon in a few days. They packaged the ceramic plates tightly and perfectly so when it all arrived, there was no damage. It shipped within a week, very fast! We will cherish our memories of Hawaii and be reminded of that each time we read the blessing.

Very cute pottery art studio! Knew what I went in there for and the lady who paints the plumeria…read moretrinket dishes was actually there painting more. I was able to order one and requested Kauai be written on it instead of Aloha. No problem. They are shipping it to my home next week. Great shop and nice people working there! Highly recommend this wonderful art studio! Lots of great pieces!