February’s exhibit in Wailoa Center’s Main Gallery is a remarkable display of elements depicting visual qualities of Hawaii’s landscape and culturally significant disciplines of craftsmanship.
The exhibit features Hawaiian quilts made by members of Kapa Apana o Hilo, along with landscape oil paintings by island artist Steve Irvine. Completing the display is the private collection of Tandy Newsome, “Fit for a King,” which includes 20 wood calabashes made from kou, milo and kamani by master carver Scott Hare.
Artists from these three groups will be celebrated during a reception from 5-7 p.m. today (Feb. 1) at Wailoa Center, located at 200 Piopio St. in Hilo.
In 1970, Doris Nosaka, master kapa quilter, had several kapa on display at Kulana Naauau. She saw there was an interest in the sewing of kapa, so she started the Hawaiian guilt club Kapa Apana o Hilo. Fast forward 49 years and the club is very active and invites new members to meetings, which are the first Saturday of every month in Hilo and now at Keaau Community Center.
Quilters with pieces on display in the exhibit are Laura Ashton, Yoko Brown, Cathy Correia, Noriko Fujii, Myra Ingbino-Lewis, Vicki Kury, Merci Manalili, Carol Niimi, Mariko Ogawara, Taeko Ogawa Scott, Misako Shoemaker, Patricia Walters, Deborah Warren and Julie Wheeler.
Steve Irvine, born in 1952 in Los Angeles, moved to Hawaii in 1969 to surf the North Shore and attend college, in that order. In 1983, Irvine received a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies, specializing in fine arts. Active in the East Hawaii art scene, his work has been featured in several of the annual juried spring and fall art exhibits at Wailoa Center and the East Hawaii Cultural Center.
Irvine has served as president of the Big Island Art Guild, and was on the board of directors of the East Hawaii Cultural Council. He has had and organized several exhibits through the years, including at internationally renowned Hispanic artist Frank Romero’s gallery in Los Angeles. Irvine also has work that is part of the Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and Arts permanent collection.
Through the years, he has worked in many mediums. His current body of work consists of oil paintings, with landscapes and still life as subject matter. Irvine likes to “find the miraculous in the mundane,” and will have 18 paintings on display interspersed with the quilts.
“Fit for a King” is a work of deep commitment and fine craftsmanship.
Hare is, by his own admission, laid back and not into self-promotion, but he’s passionate and knowledgeable when it comes to his art.
Hare personally acquired the wood for the pieces in this show through salvage or natural disaster events.
“Some wood came from Kapoho, Pohoiki, Puako, Honomolino and Maui,” he says.
Each calabash has a story that Hare knows well and will be described and identified in the exhibit.
Wailoa Center is free and open to the public from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
For more information, call 933-0416, email wailoa@yahoo.com or visit wailoacenter.com.
