Art, rock ’n’ roll music, ayurveda, tai chi, yoga and cooking — all are part of Honolulu Printmakers artist Dieter Runge’s identity.
And all are the impetus behind his latest exhibit, “ALLOW – CREATE – LOVE and other inspirational prints,” up through Sept. 29 at the Brue Bar on Merchant Street in downtown Honolulu.
Since early July, his colorful woodblock prints on cards with inspirational messages such as “B Kind,” “Courage,” “4Give” and “This Too Will Pass” have been on display on the walls around the coffee shop. Runge says they were created with “consciousness and love” in his art studio in Kaneohe.
“ALLOW – CREATE – LOVE AND OTHER INSPIRATIONAL PRINTS”
Featured works by artist Dieter Runge
>> Where: Brue Bar, 119 Merchant St.
>> When: 7 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday to Friday through Sept. 29
>> Cost: Free; cards available for purchase, $10 each
>> Info: 441-4469, bruebar.com
“Those cards come, really, out of my daily, spiritual practice,” he said. “Yoga, ayurveda, tai chi, meditation, and then reading and thinking about all these things over many years.”
Runge grew up in Germany and lived in New York City, where he recorded and produced several vinyl records before moving to Hawaii in 1990. He holds a master’s of fine art in painting from the University of Hawaii at Manoa and goes kite-surfing when the conditions are ideal.
The idea behind his exhibit is to offer uplifting messages with some elements of humor and references to music. The word “ALLOW,” for instance, reminds us that “sometimes all we have to do is step back, relax and allow the good things in life to come to us,” he said.
The prints come from a multilayered block printing process, with the words originally carved in reverse on a quarter-inch-thick plywood, printed on top of a test print that was cut up and combined to create the images. They are available on 5-by-7-inch folded cards at Brue Bar for $10 each.