By SUSAN PARK

A colorful exhibit of art will be on display at the Sunlight Cafe at 6403 Roosevelt Way NE through September. The art is the work of local artist Tina Pina.

To meet Pina, it is easy to assume by her comfortable, bright-colored cotton dresses and long-flowing hair that she is a throwback to the Flower Children days of the '60s: peace, free love, free drugs, and all that.

However, Pina epitomizes the new free spirit now emerging in the mainstream: the environmentally and politically conscientious, yet steadfastly moral neo-hippy.

And, she's a devout Roman Catholic, to boot.

Pina lives with her husband, Jason Trachtenburg (who writes a music column for the Jet City Maven), and their daughter Rachel, in a rental home behind the QFC in Olympic Hills.

Although the house is small, the warm flavor of religion fills the rooms. A collection of handmade rosaries is displayed in a small hallway. Images of Madonnas are incorporated into Pina's artwork on the living room walls. And homemade organic Mexican food permeates the air.

In her spare time or when taking Rachel out to a park, Pina creates beautiful, functional art work. She packs up her kit of crafts in a small, leopard-painted box and carries her projects with her.

Raised in San Antonio, Texas, with her mother, father, and brothers, Pina fondly remembers her parents working on crafts in the dining room which doubled as her older brother's bedroom before leaving for college.

"Dad had a little table with all his paints and brushes, tools and supplies. Mom had a place for a sewing machine and made many of my clothes," she recalls. Although both of Pina's parents worked long hours (her mother was a waitress and her father served in the Air Force), she says they both found the time to be creative.

Today, Pina carries on the tradition by creating her own craft-based art. Inspired by native Mexican Folk Art, her Catholic faith, and a love of music, Pina creates beautiful necklaces, dioramas, moccasins, mirrors, and other functional or wearable art. "I'm an extremely practical person. If it doesn't do several things, then it seems useless."

Her necklaces are inspired by rosaries and consist of several brightly-colored beads strung together with black cotton waxed cord traditionally used in leather work. A hand-painted figurine of a Madonna or a guitar forms the centerpiece. Pina also makes handmade moccasins for children. She can occasionally be seen selling her shoes for $20 and her necklaces for $25 at the Fremont Sunday Market with good friend and fellow artist, Cindy Payne.

Pina recently began experimenting with creating spectacular dioramas filled with figurines made from colored Fimo clay. One of her dioramas, titled "Home Birth," shows a woman lying on the floor on a mat in her tiny home with her children and family gathered around waiting for the emergence of the new baby. A "wise grandmother" stands at her side, waiting to assist and give comforting advice. "My mother gave birth at home and my grandmother gave birth at home," says Pina, "It's a wonderful experience."

Although there is a fine line between crafts and functional art, Pina bridged the gap about 13 years ago when she spray painted gigantic, house-sized banners that she put outside along highways. The banners carried different messages such as: "Reminder to be Kinder." "It was totally cheesy!" says Pina.

Much of her work was inspired by animal rights since San Antonio has an uncontrolled pet population. Pina now follows a strictly vegetarian and organic diet.

At age 24, Pina moved to Manhattan to work as a dental assistant. She created wearable art by spray-painted tights that she says "made your legs look like they were tattooed when you wore them." These were a real hit at the street fairs where she could sell them for $25 apiece. She also created large earrings from painted electrical wire.

It was in New York that she met her husband, Jason, a musician whom she met at an open mike night.

The two explored the West Coast in search of greener pastures and settled on Seattle because of the opportunities here for artists and musicians.

Pina says she makes rosaries for her mother and family and attends St. Therese Church in Madrona. "Most of my friends are atheists, but it's my heritage," she says. "I say my prayers every night and bless myself before leaving the house."