Susan Magdangal’s art blooms in Hawaii

Art and creating things by hand always interested Philippine-born Susan Magdangal as a young girl. She moved to Honolulu, Ha- waii at 18 with her widowed mother Marie Godwin Magdangal to join her four older brothers Rudy, Julius, Philip and Billy.

As a University of Hawaii student, she decided to take an art class along- side a business degree and found out that she enjoyed it tremendously and took up a few more courses at the Hono- lulu Academy of Art. Susan credits her current style to her instructor Michael Genger who taught her to explore the media from a realist perspective and let the watercolors come alive.

I was amazed at not only how lovely her paintings were, but how prolific she is with the items that featured her artisanship — from jersey blouses and scarves to throw pillows, framed prints and wrapping paper, as well as tote bags and other accessories. All the items are made in the US with superior materials such as organic cotton, linen and silk crepe de chine. Prices range from $20 for a small print to $300+ for an original watercolor that will surely be an asset to a wall’s blank space and a worthy investment as time goes by.

Working as a property manager near Waikiki, Susan finds time for her pas- sion that can be found in private collec- tions worldwide — in the United States, Australia, Canada and Europe. Last year, she did a book cover design for Penguin Books titled “Through The Dark Forest” and we expect another magazine/book feature coming up. To top this feat, a well-known USA retailer recently purchased a couple of her paintings to be used for their spring 2015 merchandise line; but we’ll have to keep the name a secret for now due to business con- fidentiality.

The soft spoken, gentle Susan explains that “It is bittersweet when my work trans- fers to another owner since each painting is unique. But the comments I’ve received from buyers about how wonderful the work has made them feel or how it has enhanced their living space, keeps me inspired.”

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For more information on Susan’s work, call pineap- plebaystudio@yahoo.com , facebook.com/pineapplebay- studio or www.pineapple- baystudio.etsy.com.