Shopping for art supplies in Kona Hawaii

We recently returned from a trip to the Big Island. When we travel to Hawaii if I bring any art supplies it’s something small like watercolors or hand stitching. This year I wanted to print some leaves that I love seeing in this area. I gathered all of my supplies and decided to pack everything except for the textile paints.  I found that Akamai Art Supply had the paint I needed so when we arrived in Kona I visited this shop.

It was a small shop, but it was packed with about any art supply you could want. Shirley Spencer and Johanna Wiseman are both the owners and Certified Art Materials Professionals, so they know their stuff! They were happy to help me find what I needed.

This is what I came to purchase, and what I bought!

But I also ended up buying some beautiful papers. I’m not sure what I’ll do with them, but I’ll find some way to incorporate them in my art, especially the leaves!

Their store reminded me of our local Dick Blicks that closed several years ago which I really miss. Here are just some of the goodies they sell.

If you are ever in the area, they are located in the Hale Kui Plaza at 73-4976 Kamanu Street #108, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.  You can also order online through their website.

Meanwhile, we passed by a Ben Franklin Crafts. It has been a long time since we had a Ben Franklin here, and it was like taking a step back in time.

They still carry a lot of interesting craft items.

But what interested me the most was the My Locker Program, a way to sell your handmade creations! I thought that was a great concept, although most people coming into Ben Franklin Crafts are there to buy products to make their own stuff.

I’m so glad I was able to buy the paint locally, and it was so much fun creating on our lanai looking out onto the ocean. In my next post I’ll show you what I did with the textile paint. Thanks for dropping by.