A photograph by Kenneth Wendall Jackson of Hilo titled “Angel Crossing” was selected to appear on the cover of a 2017 calendar of images captured in Lili‘uokalani Gardens.
A photograph by Kenneth Wendall Jackson of Hilo titled “Angel Crossing” was selected to appear on the cover of a 2017 calendar of images captured in Lili‘uokalani Gardens.
“Angel Crossing” appears on the cover of the first Friends of Lili‘uokalani Gardens photo calendar and as the main image for the month of June. Another of Jackson’s images, “Winter Day 3,” was selected for the month of November.
The calendar contest attracted 90 entries for a 13-month calendar. Images not chosen for the main month pages went through a second selection for potential inclusion as a thumbnail image. In all, 39 different views of the gardens are included.
“Every show distills out a single image that represents the body of work and draws the viewer in for more,” said photography contest juror Alvis Upitis. “’Angel Crossing’ was that iconic image for me. Like a movie still frame, it asks from me a soundtrack, perhaps ‘Aloha ‘Oe’ played on grand piano.”
Jackson took his first photograph at the age of 8. He spent 37 years operating a successful photography business on the mainland. He moved to Hilo in May 2013.
Upitis is a working commercial photographer with 40 years experience shooting for Fortune 500 companies and top advertising agencies worldwide. He has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in photography and taught photo art and techniques at the college level for 10 years.
“We are thrilled with the quality of images selected,” said Friends of Lili‘uokalani Gardens president K.T. Cannon-Eger. “So much so that a separate display of calendar contest winners will appear in the Banyan Gallery from noon-6 p.m. Saturday as part of the Banyan Drive Art Stroll.”
Photographer and videographer Kenneth Goodrich of Volcano organized the competition and is the calendar’s graphic designer. Printing and production was done locally by Hawaii Printing Corp.
Jackson will receive the grand prize of a ride from Paradise Helicopters. Copies of the fundraising calendar will be sold to benefit projects in Lili‘uokalani Gardens.
Other photographers featured in the calendar and the month of their image are:
• Paul Miyasaki, “Lili‘uokalani Nene” (January)
• K.T. Canon Eger, “Nagasaki Lion Picnic” (February)
• Kornelius Schorle, “Walk With Me” (March)
• Steve Godzsak, “Nature’s Shapes n Colors” (April)
• Alan Lakritz, “The Bridge of Tides” (May)
• Toby Hazel, “Tea Room View” (July)
• Debra L Newbery, “Bamboo Pagoda” (August)
• Steve Pollard, “Wahine Hula” (September)
• Alan Lakritz “Hilo Bay Serenity” (October)
• Valerie A. Victorine, “Lili‘uokalani Shrine” (December)
• Vernon L. Enriques, “All the Park” (January 2018)
The Banyan Drive Art Stroll is the first 2017 event in a series to celebrate the centennial of the gardens. The land was dedicated in honor of the queen in early 1917 and construction on the Japanese-style landscape began in fall 1917.
For more information, visit the Friends of Lili‘uokalani Gardens Facebook page.