about the artist
I am a keiki o ka ‘aina—a child of the Hawaiian Islands—born and raised on the island of O’ahu. My artwork is shaped by the memories of Nu’uanu Valley where I grew up, with its lush jungle and wind-blown waterfalls.
I attended Punahou High School (‘70) and U.C. Berkeley (‘74), and spent some years on the craft fair circuit in Honolulu, selling hand-painted apparel and other artworks. My art-to-wear stand in Waikiki attracted the attention of an L. A. stylist, and I was off to the big city to design costumes for entertainers, and to create original art for the L.A. garment industry.
Returning to the Big Island in ‘89, I settled as artist-in-residence at the Kalani Honua retreat center in the Puna District, where I printed large scale fabric designs for the Kona Village Resort. I have remained in Puna over the years, charmed by the tranquil lifestyle and the lingering sense of an older Hawai’i.
If you have driven the Puna coastal road from Kalapana to Kapoho in the last 10 years, you may have seen me at my plein-air easel, capturing the fleeting impressions of light and salt spray through the jungle and along the cliffs.
I have worked with designers and architects on many ambitious public art works (see murals and commissioned paintings), and am available for projects of any size.
In 2003 the Volcanoes National Park, with the sponsorship of the Mountain Institute and a judging panel of highly respected kupuna (Hawaiian elders, teachers and leaders), held a competition to see which artist in Hawai’i could paint the best new version of the Goddess Pele. I was fortunate to find the most excellent model—Princess Keli’iho’omalu Kuahiwinui—whose fierce beauty guaranteed that I won the competition, to my intense surprise. So now my painting of the ancestral deity hangs permanently at the visitors’ center in the park!
In 2005 my friend and art dealer Randy Farias closed his ‘Ohana O Hawai’i gallery in Hilo for health reasons. We had often joked that it should be called “The Arthur Johnsen Gallery” since he did a fair business in my paintings. So after some deliberation and with the encouragement of painter Cosette Bonjour who agreed to be my business partner, we got together with a group of artists and took over the gallery space under that very title! Come visit our hui (collective) Arthur Johnsen Gallery at 46 Waianuenue Avenue next time you are in Hilo!
Aloha, and enjoy the paintings!
Resume
ARTHUR JOHNSEN, artist
12-130 Kipuka Street, Pahoa, Hawaii 96778 USA
Tel. (808) 965-7642
email: aj@arthurjohnsen.com
ARTWORK ON DISPLAY
Arthur Johnsen Gallery
46 Waianuenue Avenue
Hilo, Hawai’i 96720
(808) 935-8020
open Tues-Fri 10-5, Sat 11-3
Volcano Art Center
P.O.Box 129
Volcano, Hawai’i 96785
(808) 967-7565
www.volcanoartcenter.org
Showcase Gallery
79-7407 Mamalahoa Highway
Kainaliu, HI 96750
(808) 322-3203
Third Dimension Gallery
The Shops at Mauna Lani
68-1330 Mauna Lani Drive E-22
Kohala Coast, Hawai’i 96743
(808) 322-6640
Cedar Street Gallery
817 Cedar Street
Honolulu, Hawai’i 96814
(808) 589-1580
www.cedarstreetgalleries.com
Philpotts and Associates, Honolulu
Fine Art Associates, Honolulu
Pride of Aloha Cruise Ship
Norwegian Cruise Lines
Atrium Murals
Kahalanui Retirement Community, Honolulu
Lobby paintings and giclee prints
Aston Waikiki Beach Tower
Grand Entryway Murals
Aston Kaanapali Shores
Lobby and Great Room Paintings
Aston Waikiki Sunset
Lobby Paintings
Seawatch Restaurant, Wailea, Maui
Murals
Plantation House Restaurant, Kapalua Maui
Entryway painting, menu cover, and Mural
Model Villas at Koele, Lanai
Showroom paintings
Waikele Golf Clubhouse
Lobby painting
Hle Anuenue Restorative Center, Hilo
Lobby paintings
Orchid Hotel, Maunalani
Lobby paintings
Kapiolani Hospital for Women and Children
Monotypes in maternity wards
JBL Corporation, Honolulu
Lobby staircase painting
EXHIBITIONS
2004 “Lei of the Land” one man show
Volcano Art Center
2003 Goddess Pele Painting Competition
Volcanoes National Park
1999 East Hawai’i Cultural Center
One-man show
1998 Island Art Gallery, Honolulu
One-man show
1998 Living Green Showroom, San Francisco
One-man show
1992- 97 Big Island Artists Guild
Spring and Fall Shows
1986 Volcano Art Center
two-man show
1984 Modern Art Waikiki
one-man exhibition space
1983 The Croissanterie, Honolulu
One-man show
1979-83 Pacific Handcrafters’Guild
group exhibitions and craft fairs
1979 “Discoveries” Show, Honolulu Hale
nominated by Francis Haar
RESIDENCIES, APPRENTICESHIPS & EMPLOYMENT
1989-98 Kalani Honua Conference and Retreat Center
Artist-in-Residency
Instructor of figure Drawing, painting and screen printing.
Graphic Design and illustration.
1998 Tau Dance Theater
Costume design
1992 Rugg Road Papers and Prints, Boston
Residency in paper making.
1989 Legian, Bali
Residency in fabric printing and design
1984-89 Free-lance design work in Los Angeles:
Ocean Pacific Sportswear, Jamilla, Robin Caldwell, VMR, St. La Roche.
Freelance costume design: Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, Taste of Honey,
Siegfried & Roy
1977-84: Free-lance graphic design, Honolulu
Paul Brown Designs
1975-78: Apprenticeship with Paul Degen, New York illustrator. Volcano Art
Center residency in screen printing
1974-75: Graphic design assistant to Momi Cazimero. Illustration
apprenticeship with Herb Kane for the Bishop Museum.
EDUCATION
1978-79: University of Hawaii.
Graduate work in painting
1970-74: University of California at Berkeley
A.B. Graphic Design. Graduated with honors, Phi Beta Kappa
1966-70 Punahou High School, Honolulu
National Merit Scholar