The 34th annual Art Maui 2012 show is a fun event, beautiful, rich in color and life, as if it emerged from the sensuous bosom of Maui itself.

On display through April 21 at the Schaeffer International Gallery at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center, the show contains 144 works by 128 artists, culled over two days from 513 pieces by juror Tom Klobe, a nationally recognized exhibition designer from Hono­lulu.

Iconic imagery of the island fills the space with Baldwin beach scenes, Upcountry landscapes, gorgeous flowers, images from the sugar industry and hunting dogs in the back of a truck.

The show is also favored for the variety of artistic styles — painting, sculpture, woodworking, stoneware, ceramic, photography, jewelry, furniture and even a coffin.

Art Maui was founded in 1979 by Dick Nelson, Janet and George Allan, Marion Freeman and others with two objectives in mind.

The first was to create a "discomfort zone" encouraging artists to push themselves and produce cutting-edge works and not necessarily for sale. The second was to pull together works by artists from disparate art organizations around the island into a cohesive show.

Fulfilling the second goal is always easy; fulfilling the first is not. But every year there are pieces that add to visual literacy, helping us perceive the world in new ways.

Klobe said his selection criteria were these: "Is it visually arresting? Is it technically well done? What is the concept? Is it a significant message? It actually is a very thoughtful process."

The first piece he chose was Margaret Bedell’s charcoal drawing "Blessings." "It’s beautiful line work, very free," he said. "Drawing always takes a back seat to painting. It was so refreshing to see drawing with that vitality in it."

Klobe was inspired by Claudia Johnson’s handsome manzanita wood piece "Memory" for its use of natural material.

Lynn Garzino’s "Afternoon Sun,"an oil painting of a Hawaiian woman, was selected for its strong emotive quality. "I’m not sure I understand what the artist is saying, but I like thinking about it. Is there a message about the state of the Hawaiian people?"

Pamela Andelin’s beautifully colored and layered abstract oil triptych "Pomestication" was purchased by the Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts and is given pride of place at Art Maui’s entrance.

Other gems include Derek A. Bencomo’s outstanding teak sculpture "Victim of Changes," Diane Epstein’s photograph "Mirror Reflection," Karen Whittingham’s paper-clay sculpture "Mercedes" and the encaustic mixed-media works of Arlene Taus Salo­mon.

Joelle Perz, the show’s designer, did justice to every piece, creating an environment where the themes of masculine-feminine, fire-water, old Hawaii-contemporary and serious-fun are cleverly displayed and contrasted.

Perz created a wall of works with intense Hawaiian themes, including Rik Fitch’s "There Are Still Things We Don’t Know," an oil of a listless Hawaiian warrior in a ti skirt.

He pushes a shopping cart in which a one-eyed ancient burial kaai beams out a powerful message from its imprisonment. Nearby, Maui recycling expert Wilma Naka­mura, wearing a boa she made of T-shirts, laughs in a Don Shamblin portrait.

"What surprised me when I did the installation wasn’t the individual wows, but the collective wow," said Perz. "The artists are expressing the different sides of the mind of Maui."