Hawaii artist leaves his mark at Hiroshima Peace Museum

Every year, thousands of people travel to Hiroshima, Japan, to see the city devastated by the atomic bomb during World War II that has since become a beacon for peace.

Hawaii residents visiting the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum — part of a larger complex in the center of the city that includes many monuments and memorials — might happen upon a display of children’s books with artwork done by a very familiar hand.

In April, Hawaii island artist Rod Cameron, 66, was informed that several books he had illustrated were being accepted into the museum and would be put on permanent display. Most of the books, written by psychologist Terrence Webster-Doyle, were published more than two decades ago but cover subjects that still carry resonance.

"Tug of War: Peace Through Understanding Conflict," "Why is Everybody Always Picking on Me?: A Guide to Handling Bullies for Young People" and "Why is Everybody Always Picking on Us?: Understanding the Roots of Prejudice" are among the six titles by Webster-Doyle and Cameron that are in the museum’s database.

Some of the books are self-published by Webster-Doyle’s Atrium Society, a group whose main focus is to teach young people about peace, and have received several IBPA Ben Franklin Awards for independent publishing.

"I’d like to go to Hiroshima and see them," said Cameron, who grew up in Chicago and Los Angeles before moving to Oahu in the 1970s. He later relocated back to Southern California to hone his artistic skills, but in 2002 moved to the Hawaiian Paradise Park area of Puna, where he’s resided ever since.

The books, which have also been added to collections at several peace museums and libraries around the U.S., feature Cameron’s signature soft strokes and depth that has made his work so popular. He said his illustrations in the books are much more detailed than his paintings, which he describes as both expressionistic and impressionistic.

"It’s more about depicting a feeling, an emotion, rather than a story," he said of his artwork.

When he returned home last month from a six-month artistic getaway to Berlin, he said most of his time was taken up with repairing damage left by Tropical Storm Iselle, which hit the area hard in August.

But he is already back at work — galleries want more pieces, he said — creating his oil paintings that capture the beauty and culture of the islands.

Cameron’s artwork is available in several galleries on Hawaii island (Dreams of Paradise Gallery, One Gallery, Third Dimension Gallery, Hilo Fine Art Center, Volcano Art Center), as well as the Cedar Street Galleries in Honolulu.