A New Lens
After more than a year of avoiding spaces outside the home, I was happy to venture out of my home (mask in hand) and experience the Pow! Wow! Exhibit at Bishop Museum. It was so cool to see arts of different backgrounds celebrating hawaii.
It was a little edgy, a little retro, a little modern and a lot cool. Below are a few of my favorite artists and images of their pieces… in no particular order.
Craig ‘Skibs’ Baker: It’s Been On My Mind Since Bowie Died
An Artist from Southern California. Baker’s work has the influence of 80s punk rock combined with surf culture. A collision of the urban edge of a big city and vintage Hawaii.
I love this illustration with Diamondhead in the background. It reminds me of the days when I had time between projects and would I stop by the beach, still in my work clothes, and let the sand say aloha to my toes. A reminder to why I moved here.
Shar Tuiasoa: Mother Pasifik
Shar Tuiasoa is a freelance illustrator based in Kailua, Oahu. She is the founder of Punky Aloha Studio (great name). I’ve seen her work on murals, art shops, local magazines including Honolulu Magazine and Hawaii Magazine. She is currently working on two picture books for Harper Kids and Harper Collins. I’m looking forward to ordering these books to share with my son.
Tuiasoa’s work is a graceful and powerful voice to the Hawaiian culture. Her balance of color, pattern and play against positive and negative space are masterful. I see her drawings and I see Hawaii.
Scott Listfield: Cove
Known for painting lone exploratory astronaut lost in landscape cluttered with pop culture icons and tongue-in-cheek science fiction reference. Listfield is based in LA. He grew up in Boston and studied in Dartmouth College.
Manoa falls trails re-opened recently and I had a chance to visit. Being surrounded by the rainforest, after 15 years in hawaii I appreciate the new discoveries, like the outsider in this image. Ready to explore…