Hawaii Tribune-Herald Island Beat Thursday, August 3, 2017 9 EXHIBIT From page 6 painting) and mokuhanga (Japanese woodblock printing) during a three-year study in Japan, but Morinoue also worked in a variety of other media, including mixed media paintings, printmaking, ceramics, photography and sculpture. Some of his large commissions include works showcased at the Hawaii State Library and Hawaii Convention Center in Honolulu, Pahoa High School and First Hawaiian Bank branches in Honolulu and Kailua Kona. “This is a rare opportunity for our visitors to view up close and experience Mr. Morinoue’s art,” King says. “He is Hawaii Island’s state treasure in the art world and his reach into issues of protecting our environment and protecting art and culture is remarkable.” Explains Morinoue, “I have long been a patient observer of nature, in particular of its rhythms, patterns and cycles. In much of my work there is a compelling sense of place: our shorelines, rocks, lava fields, skies and rain forests of the Big Island. Lately, my concerns with the war, global warming, immigration and the depletion of our natural resources are depicted in my work.” Interested patrons also can learn about the complexities of the jury process from Morinoue at 2 p.m. Saturday during an artist’s talk and walking tour around the Wailoa Center galleries. “This is an excellent opportunity to see the art through his eyes,” King says. “Learn about his perspective on art, art education and the current exhibit. This event is guaranteed to stimulate your creative ideas and increase your understanding of art.” HIAA volunteer Bob Douglas was responsible for the online entry and jury system. “This year, it was a mix of The Abstract Only exhibit opens Friday at Wailoa Center in Hilo. HOLLYN JOHNSON/Tribune-Herald 75 percent two-dimensional and 25 percent three-dimensional work,” he says. “Our juror, Hiroki Morinoue, spent more than nine hours painstakingly reviewing all the submissions. This was a very serious and deliberate examination on his part. It’s not just that a piece had to meet the definition of abstract, but it also had to fit within his design for the exhibit.” Douglas says it’s not surprising that they received several entries from Maui, of which 10 were juried in. “Bringing in off-island talent refreshes the show as well as exposes local artists to other artists’ work and styles,” he says. “More importantly, however, there are some pieces that will (and are already) causing controversy. Personally, I think it’s fantastic, and it gets people thinking about and discussing what is ‘abstract,’ what is art?” Douglas says this show satisfies a demand for art outside of traditional Hawaiian themes. “This show will expose Big Islanders to a wide breadth of abstract works — from the traditional to more edgy digital artwork,” he says. “Abstract art allows the artist to express a wide range of emotions — from the more subdued and serene all the way through to unadulterated rage and pain. One can hide and whisper or scream their lungs out. On the flip side, it can also be very playful, childlike and therapeutic for the artist and the viewer.” Furthermore, Douglas says abstract art has no boundaries. It gives everyone the potential to express themselves. “Abstract art is so different from figurative, depicting art,” agrees HIAA president Fia Mattice. “Abstract art can open the mind and the emotions of the viewer in the most unexpected ways, which is what art should always do.” Artist and HIAA volunteer Gretchen Grove’s piece, “Murmuration,” a multicolored woodcut, was selected for this year’s exhibit. “A murmuration is a large group of birds (usually starlings) that move and undulate in flight as one unit,” Grove explains. “There are amazing videos of this online. This piece was my attempt to capture a murmuration in two-dimensional form. I used three different sheets of wood, carved as one, then printed upside down and right side up in five colors.” Grove says she submitted the piece because she thinks it is the strongest work she has created to date. “It began as an experiment in rotating the plates as they were printed and evolved and grew as each subsequent plate was printed,” she says, noting that for her, abstract art is the first thing she has found as an adult where she can tap in to her inner child and have free rein to play. “I have mostly done realistic block prints of Hawaii’s native species,” Grove says. “But for me, realism doesn’t push my creativity, so I began playing, that is, not worrying about the image but experimenting with the medium of woodblock printing.” Contrary to what some might think, she says, the same foundational rules of art apply to abstract art as well. “When people say, ‘I could do that,’ I can only think, ‘good luck,’” says Grove, who has been doing printmaking for more than 25 years. “Good art is built upon years of learning, years of experimenting and failing and trying again. When you look at a piece of abstract art, you’re seeing layers of trying this, trying that, trying something else until you have the composition right with line, shape, form and movement working as one.” Abstract Only!, formerly a biennial exhibit (now an annual event), was established in 2006 in response to the Big Island artists’ community wanting a venue to display abstract art exclusively, King explains. “Over the last 10 years, there has been a consistent and elevated level of artwork submitted, with the artists challenging themselves more and more with each year of participation,” she says. HIAA promotes art events in East Hawaii, hosting shows with renowned jurors and exposing artists to new venues. They support four shows annually at Wailoa Center. “Hopefully, imaginations will be awakened and audiences can create their own story of what the artists have depicted in this exhibit,” King says. “I enjoy everything about Abstract Only!, how it challenges my visual vocabulary through shape, color and design. I love playing the imagination game with abstract art and, if it’s done well, get lost in it.” Wailoa Center • Wailoa Center is a facility of the Division of State Parks, Department of Land and Natural Resources, located at 200 Piopio St. in the Wailoa River State Recreation Area. It is free and open to the public from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday. The center is closed Saturday, Sunday and state holidays. For more information, call 933-0416, email wailoa@yahoo.com or visit wailoacenter.com.
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