Works by Kauai artists are unified by use of natural light

Each of the Hawaiian Islands has its own unique identity, shaped through variations in geologic age, topography, plant and animal species, and culture. To judge from some of the paintings featured in this year’s Art Kaua‘i, the annual exhibition of works by members of the Kauai Society of Artists, there is something to be said for a distinctive artistic sensibility as well.

“Kauai has this misconception that all we do is paint rainbows and waterfalls,” said Licia McDonald, a ceramist and president of the 33-year-old nonprofit organization.

McDonald said that misconception should be dispelled by the visions of Kauai in the 65 works by 45 artists selected by this year’s juror, Joelle Chicheportiche-Perz, a Lahaina artist, curator and gallery owner.

Yet, while diverse in subject and style, the works share a spirit and sense of place in their bold, expressive use of the natural light that falls on the oldest and northernmost Hawaiian island.

Sometimes the sunlight appears tangible, as in “Westside Kauai,” Angela Headley’s oil painting of a long-haired girl in a farmyard, scattering feed to the chickens at her feet. The light glazes her rounded features, highlighting her eyelids as she looks down at her flock with a dreamy, inward expression. Her graceful yet solid form recalls Gauguin’s paintings of peasants in Brittany.

Sometimes the light is ethereal, as when it gilds the clean lines of the Waimea pier and small, glassy waves washing onto a red shore in Karen Olson’s oil painting “Westside!”

“It might just be the feeling of lightness, that spirit we have as artists who are painting just for their own enjoyment,” McDonald said.

“Because we’re not a commercial gallery, we don’t have to cater to what sells,” she added.

While Art Kaua‘i showcases the work of celebrated professionals, such as “Baby Hau,” a bronze vessel by ceramist David Kuraoka, and “Three Amigos,” an oil painting of loulu palms by Jenifer Prince, it also includes work by new artists.

Among those entering a juried show for the first time is Tom Huffman, whose acrylic painting “Barkology,” a colorful abstract inspired by a rainbow eucalyptus tree, evokes close-ups of organic forms by Georgia O’Keeffe.

This year’s top prize went to Alfred Gray’s “The View of Niihau From Waimea,” an acrylic on canvas wrapped in wild beauty and a dark, foreboding sense of mystery. The island stretches in silhouette against a bronze-and-yellow sky. Outsize buildings marked with X’s sit on the shore, and in the blue foreground yellow lava fountains appear to spout among dancing sharks. Gray’s and other pieces in the show have been purchased by the Hawaii State Foundation for Culture and the Arts.

Art Kaua‘i 2016, which runs through Oct. 28, is at Lihue’s Kukui Grove Center, close to the airport, so even if you’re on a whirlwind trip, it’s easy to stop by for the pure experiential omiyage of Kauai’s unique art.