Arlene Woo has been painting with water media since 1999.  Charlie Higa’s playful approach made her first venture into watercolor a positive experience which led her to study with Robert R. Dvorak of California and George Woollard of Honolulu.  Her love of process and challenge has led her to a variety of subjects ranging from waves to flowers to still life to abstract.  Collage and acrylics are also part of her art.

    

Woo’s early experience with color theory under the tutelage of Gloria Foss and her instruction with Lau Chun in oils evoked a love of color and free moving brushwork which carry over into her pieces.  Working with George Woollard has encouraged Woo to experiment with many approaches and compositions.   Although one may be influenced by others, art-making, like life, is a personal experiment.  Her paintings are more recognizable by their color than by their subject matter.  

    

Three of Woo’s watercolor paintings were accepted in the first show she entered -- the Windward Artists Guild Open Exhibition September 2001 in Hawaii.  Subsequently, WAG, the Hawaii Watercolor Society, and the Association of Hawaii Artists have accepted her paintings in many juried shows, leading to status as a Signature Member of HWS in 2010.  Woo was selected to participate in the Japanese Chamber of Commerce Exhibition at Linekona and in the International Artists Society of Hawaii exhibition at the Blaisdell Center.  In addition, a number of her paintings and two border designs are in the renovated wing of the Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu.  Currently, Woo is a resident artist at the Louis Pohl Gallery.