MEDIA RELEASE

Adding to its stellar collection of shops, restaurants and services, Queens’ MarketPlace announces an exciting new art experience, Starscape Gallery, scheduled to open in February 2016.

Specializing in fine art, nightscape photography, astrophotography, and space art Starscape will offer an out-of-this world selection of museum-quality prints, original paintings, and more.

Owner and photographer Steve Cullen sees an interesting trend in what he calls “astro-tourism” on the island—those visitors excited about the mountain summits, stargazing and the night skies. To capture their imagination, he brings together a unique group of fine artists and art photographers with a shared passion.

“The gallery features nightscape photography, beautiful landscape compositions taken under the evening sky. These could be of places you’ve visited before in daylight, like Pololu Valley but with the Milky Way, a constellation, or perhaps a moonbow delivering a perspective that can only be captured with a camera at night,” said Cullen. “We also have some amazing astrophotography of deep space objects like galaxies, nebulae, and star clusters as well as stunning space art which is a more traditional artist’s interpretation of space phenomena.”

Cullen says that astrophotography is a more challenging, more technical process, to produce a different kind of art photos.

“We might take 200 pounds of equipment out, set it up and leave the shutter open anywhere from eight hours to hundreds of hours,” said Cullen. “The telescope, and thus the camera, precisely tracks the sky as Earth rotates to capture the imagery in fantastic colors and clarity.”

A retired technology executive from Silicon Valley whose first love was astronomy, he moved to New Mexico in 2006, built three observatories and started doing his own research and astrophotography. He soon realized there was a business opportunity and created LightBuckets, the first “online telescope service”, a subscription-based business catering to citizen scientists, astrophotographers, and researchers around the world.

When that operation was sold to a French company, Cullen and wife Cindy (Starscape Gallery’s Gallery Director) moved permanently to Hawaii Island, one of his favorite places on the planet. Since then, they have been working enthusiastically to open the new gallery.

“Visitors will be treated to a magical visual experience that inspires one to dream of distant worlds, ponder the enormity of the cosmos, and embark on a journey back to the beginning of time,” said Cullen. “Everywhere you look there’s a captivating view of distant galaxies, nebulae, stars, and planets or incredible horizon-to-horizon vistas of the night sky from amazing locations around the globe. The familiar takes on an air of other worlds under the infinite light of the universe.”

Starscape Gallery at Queens’ MarketPlace will be open 9:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. daily.

For further information, call 808-430-5864 or visit www.starscapegallery.com

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DAYLIGHT MIND

Expanding on the success of its premier Kona restaurant, Daylight Mind has opened a new and unique “coffee pub” in Queens’ MarketPlace, Waikoloa Beach Resort.

Specializing in carefully sourced, roasted, and brewed coffees from Hawaii and world coffee regions, Daylight Mind also offers American bistro‐style menus, built around fresh ingredients, locally sourced whenever possible, and handcrafted foods.

All breads and pastries are baked in‐house at the flagship location and delivered daily, as are select Hawaii‐grown coffees, custom‐roasted in Kona. And with a wide variety of brew methods and house‐made syrups available, guests will discover a particular coffee, tea, chocolate or other beverage for every taste.

“Coffee is first and everything else is second,” said working co‐owner Shawn Steiman.

With a PhD in tropical plant and soil science, Steiman, also known as “Dr. Coffee,” is an author, coffee consultant, and teacher in the company’s Coffee School.

He and the Daylight Mind team of young, self‐proclaimed “adventurers” work closely with numerous coffee farmers in Kona, Ka‘ū and other areas, plus Oahu and Maui, to provide some of the best Hawaii has to offer.

“What makes our coffee special? Nothing,” said Steiman. “We just take a good product, treat it really well and make great coffee. There’s no secret, no magic. If anything, it’s just passion.”

Daylight Mind menus feature a unique combination of American bistro‐style dishes, such as the “Sam” waffle with kalua pork, poached eggs and BBQ or Hollandaise sauce, a New England clam and bacon chowder in a housemade bread bowl, and satisfying vegetarian entrees, like Cassoulet and “Starving Artist Pasta.”

Dessert temptations include a Lilikoi Opera Gateau, layered almond cake with chocolate ganache and lilikoi glaze, New York style cheesecakes and a gluten‐free raspberry‐chocolate rum cake.

The name Daylight Mind was inspired by a Hawaiian word, naauao, which translates as learned, enlightened, wisdom, science, or literally, “daylight mind.”

The coffee pub atmosphere is one that encourages conversation, and focuses on Hawaii’s rich history of many cultures and ideas coming together.

“We want people to walk in and feel like something special is happening there,” said Steiman. “The space, the location creates an environment with a kind of vibe or energy that is classy and casual, a place people where enjoy the total experience.”

Daily Mind is open 6 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. daily. Diners are welcome to visit any time of day, and stay for that second cup of coffee, a glass of wine or indulgent dessert.

For further information, call 808-339-7824 or visit www.daylightmind.com

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SOHA LIVING

Chic, beachy designs, unique gifts and home décor have created a winning formula for SoHa Living’s quick success with Hawaii’s visitors and residents.

Their first on Hawaii Island, this soon-to-be-favorite shop joins a family of four boutiques, which are located in Kahala Mall and Kailua, Oahu and The Shops at Kukuiula in Koloa, Kauai.

The brand was was founded in 2002 by sisters Brooke Watson and Shyrah Maurer, who created SoHa (short for “South of Hawaii”) to personify “a lifestyle of leisure, vacation, discovery, coastal chic and tropical luxury.”

Specializing in unique gifts that evoke relaxing ocean imagery, SoHa Living’s shelves are filled with exotic seashells and decorative signs, pillows, linens, gourmet foods, jewelry, artwork, and anything that epitomizes the beach lifestyle.

SoHa is open 9:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. daily.

For further information, call 808-464-4268 or visit www.sohaliving.com

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Since it opened in 2007, Queens’ MarketPlace in Waikoloa Beach Resort has earned a reputation among visitors and kamaaina as “the gathering place of the Kohala Coast,” full of shopping opportunities, services and great food, along with entertainment and arts programs, movies under the stars and large‐scale concerts in Waikoloa Bowl at Queens’ Gardens.

For further information, call 886-8822 or visit www.QueensMarketPlace.net