Not only is Honolulu Academy of Arts Director Stephen Little an authority on Chinese art and the author of books such as Taoism and the Arts of China—he paints too.His first solo show opens tonight at the Pegge Hopper Gallery in Chinatown.

He recently took at life drawing class at the Academy Art Center at Linekona, which relit what he calls “a fire that burned.” The first paintings he did were in 1972, when he was an undergraduate student at Cornell studying Chinese art history.

“I always wanted to be a painter,” he says. And the group of paintings on view in “Ocean of Emptiness” come out of the concept he started more than 30 years ago.

“These are all imaginary landscapes,” explains Little. “They are influenced by two things—years of studying Chinese and Japanese painting, especially one particular Chinese artist, the 13th-century Zen monk named Muqi (also spelled Mu-ch’i, and pronounced moo-chee). He is a fantastic landscape painter, very minimal. All of my paintings are mostly empty, acrylic on canvas. Generally I use only two colors, cobalt oxide and iron oxide. The other influence is ideas of the way the world is structured that I learned form studying astronomy and Taoism. I’m looking for images that are ambiguous, paradoxical, and elusive.”

The image here doesn’t do the work justice. It has an ethereal feeling, like coming upon a ruined, ancient world in the distance.

How does he feel about his first exhibition? Responds Little, “This is very frightening and exciting.”

If you hadn’t noticed, there is a new Artist in Residence in Gallery 31 Art Studio. Her name is Boz Schurr. What is she doing you ask? Well, for now I’ll let the work speak for itself.

With the help from Academy visitors, Boz will be on site, painting on weekends through December 20th. Come check her out and be a part of the process.

The day opened with a bang—students from The Pacific Buddhist Academy of Hawaii performed taiko drumming in Central Courtyard. The Bon Dance Club of Manoa and the Mo‘ili‘ili Senior Citizens Club did two sessions of bon dancing. There was so much to do—do shibori (Japanese tie-dye) with textile artist and Academy staffer Darius Homay, draw and color with Manga Bento, draw with and be drawn by artist Andy Lee, hear docent Tensie Lee tell kamishibai or “paper drama” stories, and cut out paper shapes for artist in residence Boz Schurr to incorporate in her paintings, while being videoed.

If you missed the fun, come next month, when the theme is Keiki Christmas—the only day the Academy’s super fun “Keiki Christmas!” show with Elfie the Elf (Susie Roth) will be open to the public (it’s just for school groups this year). Thanks so much to Bank of Hawaii and all the volunteers who make this free day possible.

The Art Studio is again dark (for just one weekend) as Allison Uttley has packed up her work and moved back to the University.  As hoped, Uttley’s time here has garnered her some vision and clarity on future work.  Keep an eye on this artist, she’s on the cusp of big things.  

She left the Academy with this parting note:

All of the foil is flattened and Gallery 31 is empty. I admit that I felt that same sinking feeling as I pushed the helium methodically out of each balloon, as you might feel waking up to the remnants of a recently ended bash, all the while knowing that it was great while it lasted. 

I wanted to take a moment to say that I am entirely grateful for the space provided by the Academy and the opportunities it afforded.  I was able to work and install simultaneously as well as collect feedback from some excellent sources including my own thesis committee from UH Manoa (Gaye Chan, Charles Cohan, Mary Babcock, and Chae Ho Lee), and Academy professionals Steven Little, Shawn Eichman, Vince Hazen (at Linekona), and Theresa Papanikolas–who reminded me of my love for Dadaist traditions and encouraged me to set the sculptures free!  

Thank you also to everyone in the education department, and especially Maika’i Tubbs and Aaron Padilla who were available for my every whim including some much needed encouragement and comic relief.

Finally, I would like to thank all of the visitors who engaged my imagination with their drawings and conversation. 

My next step is to continue my research into the world of inflatables during my final months as a graduate student. I will be sure to keep you informed of future projects. All the best, Allison

A cache of costume jewelry from Rajasthan will be at the World Art Bazaar. You’ll find earrings and earrings-and-necklace sets that make stunning statements for a pittance. This decolletage dazzler looks like a million, but will set you back only $59. The luxe brocade silk scarf, also from India, is available in The Academy Shop now ($129). They’re going fast.

World Art Bazaar
Academy Art Center at Linekona, Victoria Street between Beretania and Young streets
Nov 28-Dec 13; Tues-Sat 10am-4:30pm, Sun 11am-5pm

Academy Shop
532-8703, open during museum hours.

When you visit Gallery 31, think about how Artist in Residence Allison Uttley’s work affects you. Make note of what thoughts and memories race through your mind.  Before you leave, read her proposal for the project and see how your art gap measures up.

Allison and Vince, discussing the finer points of metaphysical Mylar.

Last week, Vince Hazen, Head of the Academy Art Center at Linekona, and Shawn Eichman, Curator of Asian Art, visited Uttley and critiqued her work—one of the benefits of the residency. I sat in on the visits and found it fascinating to observe how Vince and Shawn digested and interpreted the work, and how they arrived at their critiques and suggestions. Sorry, I’m not going to go into what was said  (they went deep), but I will say that the distance of perspective from a museum curator (Eichman) to that of an artist (Hazen) is pretty wide. Yet, their views were completely valid and very helpful to Allison; she has a lot to think over as she prepares for her thesis in April.

You have one more weekend to see Allison at work— her last day as Artist in Residence is Oct. 25. Drop by this Saturday and Sunday!

When Maika’i Tubbs isn’t organizing Bank of Hawai’i Family Sunday, he is creating some of the most exciting art in the islands. He was in the Bishop Museum exhibition “‘Ili Iho: The Surface Within” last fall, and has three works in the current “Hi’iakaikapoliopele: Visual Stories by Contemporary Native Hawaiian Artists” at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center.

Invited artists were asked to create works interpreting “Epic Tale of Hiiakaikapoliopele” (Awaiulu Press), the story of Pele’s wayward sister. Above is Maika’i’s “Memorings,” made of plastic bags on  Plexiglas stands, at the opening of the exhibition on Sept. 12. He built on what he started for “‘Ili Iho,” this time crocheting plastic bags instead of cassette tape into this trail of cloudlike forms—I remember when Maika’i sent out an email to staff asking for white and blue plastic bags. It is a great feeling to be a part of the art, even if it is just bringing plastic bags to work. Maika’i is a community-oriented, environmentally aware artist, working with people, using everyday materials.

“The ‘Memorings’ piece was inspired by the section where Pele recited all of the winds, winds that not even the eldest natives of the land could recall,” explains Maika’i. “After the last name was mentioned, the calm turned to storm and the villagers were left in disbelief. Over the course of 13 or so pages, Pele named every single wind and took just one small intermission throughout the recital. It helped emphasize just how much power names can hold. Names passed down from generation to generation. Names given for strength and vitality. Names lost, then found again. Today we remember different names. The new gods to worship take the form of retail stores, as brand names are passed down to our children and inherently shape their belief systems. The clouds sit on supersized earring stands and seem to rise and fall from the ground just as quickly as their storefront progenitors. Memorings reminds us of these modern-day idols and their ability to entice the viewer into a world of retail therapy, brand superiority and product dependency.”

Maika’i received a State Foundation on Culture and the Arts recognition award for his work “At Your Disposal,” made of plastic forks, spoons and knives. He turned something so mundane into a trail of crystal butterflies.

He says that HiSAM will show a pared down version of this “Hi’iaka” exhibition this spring. Can’t wait.

Sept 14-Oct 24, 2009 • Schaefer International Gallery • Maui Arts & Cultural Center

This is the second in a series of podcasts about works in “Hokusai’s Summit: Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji,” on view through Jan. 3, 2010.

“Hokusai’s Summit: Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji,” on view through Jan. 3, 2009

In honor of Saint Damien’s canonization, the Department of European and American Art has hung the Academy’s portrait of Joseph Damien de Veuster—Saint Damien since last Saturday—in the Holt Gallery.Here’s the scoop on the painting, from a 2008 article by former Academy Curator of European and American Art Michael Rooks:

The drawing is by British Aesthetic Movement artist Edward Clifford, who traveled to Hawai’i in December 1888—just four months before Father Damien’s death—to visit the sick priest. During this time, the UK feared leprosy might reach the island nation, so Clifford first went to India and Kashmir as part of the Anglican Church Army to learn about Hansen’s disease and to study methods of controlling it. Then he went to Molokai to test Gurjun oil, a treatment he learned in India.

Clifford and Damien became friends. The Englishman brought the Belgian gifts such as a magic lantern with slides illustrating biblical scenes and a watercolor drawing depicting “The Vision of St. Francis” by Pre-Raphaelite artist Sir Edward Burne-Jones. In return, Clifford asked Damien to sit for a portrait.

From Molokai Clifford went to Honolulu, where he wrote a memoir about his two weeks in Kalaupapa and made several drawings. One of them was a portrait—Clifford sketched Damien as he imagined the young priest at the age of 28. It was used at the frontispiece for Clifford’s memoir, which was quite popular, especially within the medical community. The portrait was then reproduced in the September 1900 issue of the Cornhill Booklet along with Robert Louis Stevenson’s article “Father Damien: An Open Letter to Rev. Dr. Hyde.” So for a generation, the portrait was probably the best known image of Father Damien.

The Academy’s portrait of Father Damien is a version of Clifford’s imaginary portrait. The portrait was one of the most intriguing aspects of Clifford’s memoir, so he may have made copies for friends such as Burne-Jones. In any case, there is an underlying sensuality in the handsome, youthful portrait of Damien, with his full lips and deep-set eyes. Clifford was known for his depiction of “heroic male beauty.” The portrait was a gift from the art historian Alicia Craig Faxon.

“Hokusai’s Summit: Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji” has been incredibly gratifying for Academy staff. Putting the exhibition together was a big team effort, and the curatorial departments—Asian Art, Education and European and American Art—collaborated and tried new things. But best of all, it’s a show that is completely from the permanent collection. We don’t need to bring in mummies or Monets from other museums to mount a riveting show. More than 1,300 members came for the special members-only opening reception on Sept. 23. It was so cool to see grown-ups doing the in-gallery activities conceptualized by the Education Department—making prints of “Red Fuji” at the four printing stations, writing haiku, and spinning the woodblocks ingeniously mounted by the Installation Department. And the interest hasn’t died—there is a steady stream of art fans drinking in the views of Mount Fuji every day. Here are scenes from the members’ opening. Photos by Shuzo Uemoto.