March 16, 2019
I am pleased to announce that my painting painting “DISPLACED: The Day the Red Glow Stopped”, won 1st prize in the Kahilu Exhibits Annual Juried Exhibition of Hawai’i state artists.
The exhibition call for entry was for “an exhibition that explores the dual forces of creation and destruction that shape our lives and the world around us.” My painting, part of a larger series called DISPLACED, explores the dynamic movement of the lava below the surface and above, filling landscape and coastlines, altering neighborhoods, flooding the night sky. The title of the painting refers to the moment in time when the lava from Fissure 8 began to slow and the warming nighttime glow began to diminish.
I started this painting at the time when we were unsure what the volcano had in store for us next. I’m honored my work resonated with other people that also experienced this dramatic event.
“For Bailey’s piece […] to be the end of Fissure 8, I felt all that underneath the work. And there is that one little bit [of lava] that is still part of a remembrance of everything that happened. For me, it epitomized all the destruction and it seemed like a place for us to leave, to part, and look for other things,” said Carl F.K. Pao, Juror of this year’s annual show.
As an artist directly impacted by the 2018 Kīlauea Eruption, I had unanticipated and positive outcomes from a year of upheaval and evacuation. I have been a traditional oil painter for 12 years; when displaced, I embraced a new style of painting. This has been realized in the DISPLACED series, an investigation into the impermanence that comes with living on an active volcanic island.
During the 3 month eruption I stayed in eight separate residences, so I utilized tools and mediums that were easily assessable and transportable such as house paint, pencil, watercolor, paint scrapers and rollers. I shifted from impressionistic to abstract expressionism in order to properly convey the emotional and physical impact of the eruption. At the time it was what I needed to heal from the trauma I felt from experiencing the eruption.
“Transformative Forces: Creation through Destruction” Exhibition runs March 14th – April 27th, 2019. The first, second and third place winners are, Bailey Ferguson, Dominic Tidmarsh and Gary Hoff. The Hawai’i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts Awards Acquisition Selection Committee selected works by Carl F.K. Pao, Margo Ray and Dominic Tidmarsh for their permanent collection. The show featured 24 artists from the state of Hawai’i in a variety of media and content.
Kahilu Theatre 67-1186 Lindsey Rd. Kamuela, HI 96743 Kahilu Galleries are free and open to the public Monday thru Friday, from 9am – 1pm, and during all performances. Kahilu Exhibits is the gallery division of Kahilu Theatre Foundation.
PRESS:
Big Island Now
Kīlauea Eruption Artwork Wins 1st Prize at Kahilu Exhibit
West Hawai’i Today
Big Island artist wins first place at juried exhibition with eruption-inspired artwork
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