Margaret Barnaby, an artist who splits her time between Volcano Village on the Big Island and New Hampshire, has offered Big Island On The Cheap one of her gorgeous woodblock prints, and you can win it right here. Just enter your name in the comments section below to be entered in today’s “Celebrate Our Launch” drawing. 

The 15×21 inch multiple plate woodblock print called One View Of Kilauea, which usually retails for $250, is a beautiful piece of art. See a larger view of it here.

Combining traditional Japanese elements with a contemporary Western approach, each picture is printed on an etching press from four or more carved plywood plates. One plate may be inked with many colors. Because every print is inked and printed individually by hand, each one is a unique work. Most of these prints are in oil-based inks on Stonehenge paper. 

She has a solo wood block print exhibition, a collection of work “made in Hawai‘i about life in Hawai‘i as it is now,” opening at the Fairmont Orchid, Hawai‘i on March 27th. It runs through June 23rd. The public is invited to its opening reception on Thursday, March 26^th from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

“My prints are all nature-based,” says Barnaby. “Sometimes there’s some human interaction, but mostly they’re about animals and plants.” A recent series of prints shows the native Hawaiian crow, the ‘alalā, which she has observed at the Keauhou Bird Conservation Center. The almost-extinct native birds are being raised and bred in captivity there in an effort to increase their tiny numbers.

“Just being close to an animal is always inspirational to me,” she says. “It’s really exciting to be able to see the ‘alalā; they’re really different than other crows I’ve seen because they seem very curious about their surroundings and their heads puff up. Part of what’s so amazing about seeing those particular birds is you know how few there are, and yet we’re still trying to save them. There must be hope.”

“Hope Springs Eternal,” one of her woodblock prints, features a winter scene with ferns and ‘alalā. “A lot of my prints are sort of based on clichés,” she says. “Hence the Fairmont Orchid Hawai‘i show’s title: ‘Well-Known Stories.’”

See some of these prints here.

Her work will also be featured in a month-long solo show called “Outside Dreams” at the Volcano Art Center from April 25 to May 31, and, along with the Pacific Island Printmakers, at the East Hawai‘i Cultural Center in July. 

A 30-year studio art printer, painter, jeweler and sculptor, Barnaby exhibits paintings and prints at the Volcano Art Center and Volcano Garden Arts in Volcano, Hawai‘i, and Carega Gallery in Sandwich, New Hampshire. Her monoprints, represented by Pelavin Editions in New York City, are in many corporate collections, including those of United Parcel Service and Texas Instruments.

In 2002, the Hawai‘i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts purchased her watercolor “Pink and the Inner Child.” One of her recent woodblock prints was awarded the John Charlot Prize in the 2006 Honolulu Printmakers show, and, in 2007, one received the Honblue Purchase Award. In 2008, the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts purchased her multiple-plate woodblock print titled “Kink.” It is currently on exhibit at the Hawai’i State Art Museum in Honolulu.

There are two ways to enter to win One View of Kilauea (shipped to your USA home). One, simply add a comment to this post. Or two, post about Big Island On The Cheap on your own blog, and send us a pingback (or comment here with a link to tell us). You’ll get one entry for each action. You can also earn ONE bonus point by subscribing to Big Island On The Cheap via rss or email and ANOTHER by posting our buttons on your site. Complete contest details available here.

Entries must be received by midnight, Hawai‘i time on March 16, 2009.

Scroll down to win the book Exploring Historic Hilo, a gorgeous lantern from High Fire Hawai‘i and a Moore Bettah ‘Ukuleles T-Shirt, and don’t forget to visit our sister site, Honolulu On The Cheap for more contests!