Many would say that Maui produces some of the top waves in the state, and even in the world. Maalaea provides arguably the fastest surfable waves; Honolua Bay holds one of the most perfectly shaped waves; and Jaws pumps the biggest rideable waves.
As a result, Maui is at the forefront in the international evolution of surfboard design.
Puku Puka will pay homage to the art of local shaping and waveriding with an installation of boards by 20 Maui shapers, along with works by five artists. The show, titled "Maui Shapers," opens with a reception from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday at the Paia gallery.
Article Photos
Puka Puka’s “Maui Shapers” board installations include pieces by Bob Olson (from left), of Ole Surfboards, Matt Smith, of Maui Shapes, Jimmy Lewis, of his shaping company with the same name.
Photos provided by Puka Puka
The exhibition will display custom, hand-shaped vintage and new boards, selected or created for the show by each shaper, and will span surf, windsurf, kiteboard, skimboard and skateboard genres.
Shapers include Alex Aguera (Alex Aguera Design), Ed Angulo (Angulo Design), Mark Angulo (Angulo Custom), Wayno Cochran (Maui Surfboards), Brent Edwards (Maui Skimmers), Reinhard Elischka (Hawaiian Kiteboards), David Gott (David Gott Skateboards), Karl Hill (KH), Duane Ignacio (DI Surfing), Bill Foote (Foote Surfboards), Jimmy Lewis, Neal Norris (Valley Isle Surfboards), Bob Olson (Ole Surfboards), Sean Ordonez (S.O.S), Tom Parrish (Parrish Hawaiian Designs), Ryan Quigless (Arclight Woods), Charlie Smith (Charlie Smith Design), Matt Smith (Maui Shapes ), Keith Teboul (Quatro International) and Jeff Timpone (Timpone Surfboards).
Also, the exhibition will include new paintings, photos and silkscreens by John Severson, founder of Surfer Magazine; vintage '60s and '70s photos by David Darling and Harlan Hughes; and paintings by Joana Varawa, founder of Project Jonah, the first Save the Whale campaign, author of" Minds in the Water" and Lanai resident.
The need for boards that allow greater performance under demanding conditions has created a local culture of highly skilled artists who have devoted their lives to the ultimate ride, according to a release. Exceptional surfboards are sculptures that perform. They are an actualized form of hydrodynamic mathematics produced by hand- and-eye coordination and extreme amounts of water time.
"Maui Shapers" continues during gallery hours from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Saturday, or by appointment, through Jan. 15, 2012. Puka Puka is located at 43 Hana Highway. For more information, www.pukapuka.tv/.
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Ellen Levinsky will be the featured artist at Lahaina Arts Society now through Sept. 5. Meet the artist and view her work during an opening reception from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday at the Banyan Tree Gallery in Lahaina.
Levinsky uses natural bird feathers to create unusual 3-D images; the artist's abstract and primitive figures are displayed on handmade paper that she makes by recycling her junk mail. Levinsky will be demonstrating at the gallery throughout this month.
For more information, call LAS at 661-0111.
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Images Fine Art Gallery announced that local painter Julie Houck will be featured from 7 to 10 p.m. Friday at its the Lahaina location.
Houck studied art at the Atelier of Classic Realism in San Francisco, The Academy of Fine Art in Seattle, and most recently in France at the L'Ecole Albert Defois. She was recently recognized for her work by the Florence Biennale, the Nomadas del Arte, and has been honored as a Signature painter of Plein Air Painters of Hawaii and International Plein Air Painters. Her pieces are part of permanent collections of the Hawaiian State Art Museum and the Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts. Images is located at 900 Front St. behind The Hard Rock Caf. For details, call 662-0884 and visit www.imagesinc.com.
