Kapolei Artist Going Solo In Waikiki Show
Within every one of Emily Patacsil’s glass creations is a truth that exists just beyond her fingertips, a bit of “serendipity” that blossoms almost out of her control. So when people see her art on display in her solo exhibition, which runs until Nov. 21 at Waikiki Parc Hotel, she wants them to know that the glass is exactly what it yearned to be.
“These forms that you’ll see aren’t forms that I forced the glass to make. These forms are pretty much what the glass wanted to do, what the glass is wanting to say to me,” Patacsil said.
The Kapolei resident and recent UH-Manoa graduate is the latest featured artist in a partnership between the university’s art department and Waikiki Parc Hotel to showcase student work.
Patacsil always has loved art, and she credits Kapolei High School’s academy structure for keeping her immersed in her favorite subject. During her time as a Hurricane, she was able to dabble in different media and put on her own art exhibition.
But it wasn’t until she got to college that she fell in love with glass, and particularly glass casting.
“It’s not just one particular technique with glass,” she said, “there are so many different areas within it, and I like that versatility.”
And she can use that adaptability to express deeply personal stories. In her Parc exhibit, she will be displaying glass and mixed-media works that express her inner struggle with culture and identity.
“The Parc show is about my connection with the land and the ocean, and how when I was little, I felt as though I had a stronger connection with the land and ocean and with the people around me. I feel as though now, I don’t have that connection anymore,” she said. Since she will move to Virginia soon, the collection is her way of trying to regain that link to her Hawaiian heritage.
But Patacsil has discovered that her art, as personal as it may be, also speaks to something greater than herself.
“Your art lives beyond you. I may be making something super personal, but when I put it out there, somebody else brings something to it. People seeing it might bring their own experiences to it, and even with my BFA (degree) show … people were coming up to me and sharing their personal stories with me,” she observed. “Once I shared it, other people were able to get something out of it.”
Patacsil is hoping to continue working as an artist on the Mainland, but she’s also thinking about becoming an art teacher or art therapist.
“(Art is) very therapeutic for me. I would love to be able to share that with other people,” she noted.
For more information about Patacsil’s exhibit at the Parc, call the hotel at 921-7272.
