{"id":314432,"date":"2019-12-20T06:00:25","date_gmt":"2019-12-19T20:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/?p=314432"},"modified":"2019-12-20T06:00:25","modified_gmt":"2019-12-19T20:00:25","slug":"buy-100-made-in-saipan-this-christmas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/buy-100-made-in-saipan-this-christmas\/","title":{"rendered":"Buy 100% made in Saipan this Christmas"},"content":{"rendered":"

The tag \u201cMade in the Northern Mariana Islands\u201d used to be a coveted title that was affixed to many of the clothes that were made in the Commonwealth during the garment factory years of the late \u201980s and early \u201990s and shipped to the United States. <\/p>\n

These days, with the factories now all gone, that tag has become a byword among local artists, who create art pieces borne out of passion and hard-won skills, and whose products make great souvenirs for the islands\u2019 many tourists and even residents.<\/p>\n

This holiday season, give our CNMI artists the attention they deserve by giving gifts and souvenirs that are 100% made in the CNMI. These people carry with them the passion, talent and ingenuity to make the CNMI community a better place to live in, which is why local support is warranted.<\/p>\n

Greg Elliot (Bea Cabrera)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Handmade<\/strong>
\n\u201cA lot of people are starting to appreciate something that is handmade now,\u201d said one of the CNMI\u2019s more prolific artists, Greg Elliot, whose hobby revolves around art. \u201cHandmade is a trending idea, especially when there is a globalization of products. Getting something that is handmade in your community\u2026is what people look for. \u2026I want people who buy my art to feel that they got something unique from Saipan,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Elliot, who grew up in Los Angeles, started painting watercolor in high school. \u201cIt was in college where I actually really took off with art. I had great teachers and was into watercolors for 15 years until 10 years ago, I transitioned more into acrylics and oils,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

One will never miss Elliot\u2019s art as it is colorful and is always bright and interesting. \u201cI\u2019ve been getting into acrylic pouring techniques where I pour paint and then doing realism on top of the pours\u2026 building the two together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Elliot has been a resident of Saipan for 16 years now and worked as a resident artist for DFS Galleria for 10 years. \u201cMuch of my work has tropical themes. Now I\u2019m combining tropical scenes with fantasy. When I got here I just started hitting the pavement and trying to get my art in different stores and, luckily, DFS opened right away. They liked my stuff and they set me up with a gallery area for 10 years and sold a lot of paintings,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

These days, Elliot does a lot of gift-type sizes\u20144\u201dx4\u201d original pieces\u2014\u201dso I am doing little canvas paintings that are small, easy to take home, great for gifts and affordable, which I think the market needs right now. \u2026I have endless ideas and a sketchbook full of ideas and always coming up with new concepts. I really like to combine what I see from different places and creating something original and new,\u2019 he added.<\/p>\n

More of Elliot\u2019s original paintings in bigger pieces, prints, and apparels can be seen on www.windmonk.com. With the goal to promote art even more, Elliot will open an art class on Jan. 7, 2020\u2014an after-school program for children ages 6 to 12. It is free on the first day and $22 a class thereafter. It has 100 slots available and classes will be held at the Saipan International School.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Tanya Salas (Bea Cabrera)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Unique items<\/strong>
\nTanya Salas, owner of Tahine\u2019s Creations and Tahine\u2019s TV productions, grew up in a family of weavers and carvers in Pohnpei. <\/p>\n

\u201cI watched my aunties and uncles make things. \u2026I grew up around weaving, carving, and creating things, so I try to make something too as a hobby. \u2026I made things for myself like earrings and necklaces and friends complimented the pieces and, orders started pouring in,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

With Tahine\u2019s Creations, Salas makes handicrafts, design handmade jewelry made of shells and natural materials, and ornaments for occasions or holidays. <\/p>\n

\u201cI also make baskets\u2026the natural materials I get from my homeland of Pohnpei. \u2026Making every piece takes time but, in the end, the quality is good and every piece is one-of-a-kind,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Salas said that when people support local artists, they also support the growth of the community. \u201cPeople have to support their own locally-made products as they are from natural resources. \u2026Artists give their time and resources to make one piece.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I see customers wear my work, it makes me feel happy and satisfied. \u2026Every piece promotes my island culture that I am proud of,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Pangshushu (Bea Cabrera)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u2018Share what I see\u2019<\/strong>
\nPhotographer Pangshuhsu, who really prefers to be called that, has been enjoying so much of what the CNMI has to offer in terms of beautiful images that, pretty soon, he has accumulated gigabytes of pictures. \u201cAnd I figured I better to do something with that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Whenever he is out on weekends, he does underwater photography while diving or take photos while driving around.<\/p>\n

\u201cI figured out a way to represent the island in semi-abstract ways and\u2026share what I see, put it in a canvas so that people can take home something from the island that is easy to put on the wall. Anything that happens after that is a gift or a bonus,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

According to Pangshushu, his form of photography is a protest against the selfie culture. \u201cMost of my photographs have no people represented in them or very little. It is always about nature or animals,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Elliot, Salas and Pangshushu\u2019s arts are available at the Marianas Creations pub and restaurant located along Micro Beach Road in Garapan. MC owner Elena Chhetri said that they welcome more local products to be featured at Marianas Creations. \u201cWe are open to any type of products that are made in the Marianas by any producer who is in the Marianas. \u2026We are here to offer them space,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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