Crafty casting

HGTV's 'That's Clever!' shows isle crafts, arts

Hawaii sunsets have served as the backdrop for several shows in television history. Producers for an HGTV show have found inspiration in the beauty of the isles from a different source: its residents.

On The Tube What: "That's Clever!" airs on HGTV. Textile artist Vicky Durand will be featured at 1 p.m. today, and sculptor Clyde Oishi appears 1 p.m. June 25. Also: Durand will be hosting a trunk show from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday at Under the Hula Moon, Ward Centre. Call 596-4442.

Eighteen artists living and working in Hawaii were chosen to be profiled on this season of the craft show "That's Clever!" Now in post-production for the third season, 65 episodes have been shot this year, and the isle artists will be interspersed in segments throughout the season.

Hosted by Angela Martinez, the half-hour show takes viewers into the homes of crafters around the country. Other locales that were chosen this year include New York, Miami and Santa Monica, Calif.

"This was our first visit to Hawaii for 'That's Clever!' and we were thrilled with the quality of the artwork represented as well as the contagious enthusiasm displayed by these artists for their work," said senior segment producer Lisa Insana. "With the beautiful landscape as a backdrop, and the diverse range of projects representative of Hawaii, this made for one of the most successful trips for our show to date."

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Eight hours of filming will eventually boil down to eight minutes of aired footage, but you won't hear Clyde Oishi complaining. No, when cast and crew of HGTV's "That's Clever!" traipsed through his studio to tape a segment for the afternoon craft show, Oishi welcomed the director, camera person, field producer and other assorted crew members with open arms.

"It's the chance of a lifetime, edited down to eight minutes," said the sculptor.

Makaha artist Vicky Durand agrees with that sentiment. The former surfer will be featured with two other artists, Jay Lertiz of New York and E. Douglas Wunder of Iowa City, Iowa, on today's segment of "That's Clever!" Durand will make a dyed silk table runner and design a turtle visor on camera.

Filmed on Makaha Beach, four generations of Durand women will be featured during the textile artist's segment. Cameras followed Durand and her family through her studio, where she creates brightly colored printed scarves, sarongs, caftans, plus home accessories from her home-based boutique Hawaiian Wearable Art. Durand's prints can also be found at Malibu Shirts, Queen Emma Summer Palace Gift Store and Hualalai Resort Sports Club.

"Since I was 12, I loved fashion," said Durand. "I made most of my clothes in high school. ... I started making bikinis when my daughters were 3 or 4."

Sculptor Oishi works with life forms such as fish, turtles, birds and his most popular subject, zebras. He will show viewers how he constructs his metal sculptures from copper wiring, re-creating the skeletal form of a zebra through a series of step-outs that will be featured on the show. Prior to the taping of his show, he made replicas of the zebra in four intermediate stages. Incidentally, the zebra that will be seen on the show was bought by a private collector for $2,000. Such a project typically takes the artist between 150 to 400 hours.

Durand and Oishi are part of a large group of Hawaii-based artists being featured throughout the season on "That's Clever!" Eighteen artists from the islands will eventually be featured during season three of the show, which aired for two years previously under the name "Crafters Coast to Coast."

Each year, the program showcases artists from about 10 different cities throughout the U.S. Three artists from three different locales are profiled each show. "We are making our way around the country," said Lisa Insana, senior segment producer. "A couple of seasons ago, we were also in Vancouver and other parts of Canada."

Producers for the show reach out to convention and business bureaus, plus artists' organizations. Artists can also apply for a spot on all HGTV through the basic cable channel's Web site.

Other participating artists from Hawaii are Cathy Berenberg, Kent West, Jeff Lee, Matt Kubo, Aaron Hammer, Joseph Chiarello, Margo Goodwill, Suzanne Marinelli, Dawn Squire, Stacey Williams, Aaron Lau, Michael Nahoopi, Susan Rogers-Aregger, Julie Kirby and Geoff Lee.

Oishi almost missed his chance at the spotlight. Although he had applied to appear on the show at the urging of his friend J. Forest Ocean Bennett -- who will also be featured on the show -- Oishi ignored the follow-up e-mails sent by a producer, fearing he might be rejected.

"I didn't respond because I didn't think I had a chance of being chosen," said Oishi, whose work can be found at Bethel Street Gallery, Island Treasures at the Marina and Seattle's Gallery Mack. "I never expected in my whole life to be on TV. I consider this the biggest thing that ever happened in my life."