Nicole Parente-Lopez:
Creative executive, charcoal artist
In April of 2024, Nicole Parente-Lopez reached an inflection point that would shift her focus from creating in service of others to exploring her own personal passions. After nearly a decade as a creative executive for a global tech company and 15 years in the design industry, she announced a sabbatical. Her commute to the San Francisco Bay Area from Honolulu, where she and her husband had recently moved to be closer to his family, left her torn between two worlds, and it was time for a reset.
Seeking connection with her new island home, Parente-Lopez took long walks along O‘ahu’s southeastern coastline, visiting Sandy Beach and Makapu‘u and marveling at the terrain shaped by ancient lava flows and erosion. “When you walk far enough down, it’s just lava everywhere,” she notes. “The fact that this lava gave us the land, and everything we’re able to enjoy here, is just incredible. I’m drawn to that story.”
She soon began photographing the volcanic formations, often returning at different times of the day to witness the varying effects of natural light on the landscape. Zooming in on digital images of her favorite rocks, she started hand-sketching the figures, section by section, reinterpreting every detail on charcoal paper with extra-soft charcoal pencils, “because they make the richest, deepest blacks,” she adds.
Each lava-rock drawing can take between 10 days to three weeks to complete, or even longer for more complex configurations. “It’s an emotional journey with some of them,” Parente-Lopez says, describing how the initial sketch often appears flat and two-dimensional. “As I get deeper into it, intense shadowing and depth start to emerge.”
With no plans to return to corporate life just yet, Parente-Lopez is enjoying the flow of an unscripted life fueled by creative energy. She envisions staging her first charcoal drawing exhibition in 2025 to share the profound impact Hawaiian culture and geology have had on her life. “I want people to feel the weight of the rocks—the way I feel when I look at them all together,” she says. “They’re kind of like the wise elders of these moments.”
Crystal DeRosier
Marketer, metalsmith, mixed-media artist
While studying art at California State University, Fullerton, Crystal DeRosier oversaw entertainment operations at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, before transitioning to Walt Disney Studios in Los Angeles. There, she designed movie premieres, traveling exhibits, and themed events, including a Halloween transformation of the White House.
“It was an incredible experience that fulfilled so many creative dreams, but the demanding pace eventually took its toll,” DeRosier reflects. After healing from multiple surgeries and navigating life changes, DeRosier relocated to Hawai‘i in search of a fresh start. In 2018, she stepped into the role of marketing manager for Halekulani, a position that allowed her to flex her photography and design skills. Outside of work, she reconnected with her personal artistic practice, experimenting with watercolor painting and sculptural forms.
DeRosier met renowned Hawai‘i artist Satoru Abe while covering his exhibit for a Halekulani gallery feature. Abe encouraged her exploration of metalsmithing, suggesting she start with the more accessible scale of jewelry making. “He let me try cutting metal for the first time at the bench he brought to the show,” DeRosier recalls, an experience that sparked something within her. “I fell in love.”
Motivated by Abe’s advice to pursue dual disciplines of painting and metalsmithing, DeRosier immersed herself in art, taking oil painting classes from artist Nathaniel Evans and binge-watching jewelry-making videos online. In 2021, she debuted her first jewelry collection, followed by another collection, Coral Dreams, which was featured in a 2023 exhibit at Ghost Gallery in Seattle. That same year, she showcased new oil paintings in group shows at Mori by Art + Flea, Manini Gallery, and collaborated with artist Lauren Hana Chai on a special jewelry collection for the Honolulu Museum of Art.
At present, DeRosier is preparing Sacred Darkness, an oil painting series that delves into themes of inner transformation and self-discovery. “There are still a lot of moody browns and darkness, but more greenery is emerging,” she hints. “The vibrancy mirrors the growth I’m experiencing in my life right now.”
Samantha Hook
Photo editor, leather artisan
In 2019, O‘ahu-born photo editor Samantha Hook spotted a leather zipper clutch that a friend was wearing and felt compelled to make one herself. After studying a few YouTube tutorials, she crafted her first accessory—a clutch made from a deconstructed aloha shirt, lined with faux leather. Inspired to do more, she began experimenting with veg-tan leather, cowhide treated with natural tannins. Although Hook had a rewarding freelance career editing wedding photos alongside her photographer husband, leathercrafting filled a creative void. According to Hook, the whole process felt cathartic.
As her handmade handbags gained fans, Hook built Tidal Theory, a brand centered around leatherworking. In June 2024, she joined a collaborative studio space in Chinatown and began consigning her wares at the retail shop, Open Sea Leather, located below. The shop’s owner, Michael Bluth, became a mentor. “As my craft evolved, the pieces looked cleaner and sharper,” Hook recalls. “When I could admit to people that I made them, and then when Michael invited me to join the shop, that’s when I knew I was all in.”
My mind goes quiet, and I’m at peace when I’m working with the leather.
Samantha Hook, photo editor and leather artisan
Hook’s style is marked by an interplay of geometric shapes, with signature pieces, like the Half Moon Clutch and Single Fin Belt Pouch, taking inspiration from her love of surfing and nature. During the 2024 Christmas season, her circular Hali Bag with a half-moon handle was featured in Etsy’s holiday pop-up event in New York City. Recently, Hook’s interest in sustainable sourcing has expanded her materials to include fish leather, crafted by preserving the skin of mahimahi, salmon, and ta‘ape using tannins from black tea and kiawe bark.
Though photo editing remains her first love, Hook is excited to see how far she can take Tidal Theory. She joined Open Sea Leather as a partner and is gearing up for a build-out of its new location on Nu‘uanu Street, set to open in spring of 2025.
To this day, Hook stitches every piece by hand. “My mind goes quiet, and I’m at peace when I’m working with the leather,” she says. “I think it shows that there’s a lot of care and thought that goes into what I make.”
