Where People, Art & Nature Meet
Lisa Louise Adams--painter, potter, printmaker, bookmaker, papermaker, jeweler, poet and quilter--lives in the lush rainforest village of Volcano, on the Big Island of Hawaii, where she works out of her Spiral Triangle Studios. Her work has been displayed in LEARN MORE >>
Rose Adare is a pop-realist artist classically trained at the Academy of Art University and the Atelier for Classical Realism in California. After eight years of intensive academic training, three of which were granted on full scholarship, Rose spread her art from LEARN MORE >>
Christine grew up in Honolulu. She started drawing as a child, and her parents took her to art classes at the Honolulu Academy of Arts, now the Honolulu Museum School. After an initial family visit to the Volcano in 1962, Christine continues to explore Kīlauea as a LEARN MORE >>
Many of the plants and animals that Margaret Barnaby has so masterfully captured - hapu’u tree ferns, ohia and koa trees, mynah birds, feral pigs - she can see in her Volcano Village backyard. However, the one that she’d most like to see is the ‘alala (Hawaiian LEARN MORE >>
Volcano Village’s own Marian Berger is a first-rate naturalist artist fully deserving of her growing reputation. Born in Limerick, Ireland, the daughter of a meteorologist, Marian spent her early childhood on Wake Island and in Alaska where she acquired her LEARN MORE >>
Susan was a flight attendant for many years traveling the world gathering inspiration for her art. She was born in June and is a true Gemini. It has been said that they should never place any limits on themselves. If that Gemini is an artist it means a lifetime of LEARN MORE >>
Rod Cameron is no stranger to the East Hawai’i art scene: he has had four notable solo shows. About Volcano he says, "There is no place I know that is remotely like it in the world. Its great contrasts of violence and quiet solitude, clear blue skies and heavy ash LEARN MORE >>
Donna was born in Queens, New York and got a degree in history. She later studied metal arts at the Oregon School of Arts and Crafts which led from making custom jewelry to a business rebuilding and restoring Pontiac GTOs. She still loves working with metal and LEARN MORE >>
Ken Charon was born in New York on July 26, 1954. He traveled to Europe at an early age with his family, and ended up calling Paris, France home from 1971-1983. During that time he studied art there, at the Academie Julian in Paris, as well as in Switzerland and at LEARN MORE >>
Rebecca Rosen Charon has her BFA from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia. Moving to Hawai’i in 1996, she found inspiration and the right environment to further her art. Rebecca has a love for color, and likes juxtaposing realism with freer, LEARN MORE >>
Cindy Conklin has a degree in History of Art, with a minor in studio art. She was an art teacher for over 20 years before moving to Hawaii. "I'm drawn to Kilauea by the primal nature of the place. The raw landscapes being colonized by new plants as well as the LEARN MORE >>
Douglas Davenport became an apprentice in production pottery at the age of fifteen and feels fortunate to have learned all aspects of production—from making clay and glazes to building and firing kilns. He has been throwing production stoneware for many years and LEARN MORE >>
John D. Dawson was born and raised in San Diego, California. With the complete support of his working-class parents they helped him to follow his dreams of a career in art. John graduated from the Art Center School, Los Angeles, California which is now The Art LEARN MORE >>
At an early age Thomas Deir wanted to work in a creative field. He wanted to put his ideas into a tangible form that others could enjoy. During his adolescent years, Thomas explored the options that were available to him including drawing, photography, architecture, LEARN MORE >>
Eve has been living in East Hawaii since 1993. A self-taught printmaker with a strong graphics background, Eve is also an oil painter. She works as an illustrator and designer for her own business, Blue Heron Multimedia. She has won awards in various categories in LEARN MORE >>
David Maes Gallegos was born in Denver, Colorado, on September 23, 1954. After winning scholarships in painting and drawing, he received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with high distinction from California College of Arts and Crafts in 1974. In 1977 Gallegos LEARN MORE >>
Elena Garcia was born into an artistic American family of Hispanic and British heritage. She clearly recalls her discovery and fascination with color blending at the age of five. Contemporary artists of California were Elena’s first mentors. She went on to study the LEARN MORE >>
I was two when I held my first pencil & started my “training” as an artist. Living in rural northern California, I had plenty of time to draw, paint & color. I was born an only child & grew up surrounded by the agricultural beauty of Northern California. LEARN MORE >>
Gretchen has lived on the Big Island since 1969. She has a Bachelor's Degree in Art, and has been printmaking for about 20 years, specifically block printing for 15 of those years. Her block prints deal with Hawaii's native species. She says, "I love the graphic LEARN MORE >>
With a background in geography and geology, Ann Guth was introduced to cartography (drawing maps). While she was working on a map, one of her supervisors said “you have something in your hands.” With that came confidence and greater creativity. She has lived in LEARN MORE >>
"It starts with an experience, a feeling, and a subject. I’m drawn to the way light surfs the waves, the way sunset streaks across the sky, the way wind blows through the palms. From the boldness of the distant mountain as it rises above the clouds, to the LEARN MORE >>
William K. Hartmann is known internationally for his astronomical research, writing and painting. He first came to Hawai‘i in 1964 where he lived alone on Mauna Kea to do early site testing for what later became the Mauna Kea Observatory. Currently he lives in Ka‘ū, LEARN MORE >>
Shirley grew up in southeastern New Mexico. She attended Abilene Christian College, and the University of New Mexico. She and her husband met and were married in Albuquerque and moved to Hawaii in 1963. She took art classes at UNM but did not pursue art until LEARN MORE >>
David Hayes was born and raised in Hawai`i and has lived here his entire life. He graduated in the class of 1978 from Saint Louis High School in Honolulu and received his Bachelor of Art Degree from the University of Hawai`i in 1985. David has been a member of LEARN MORE >>
Born in Los Angeles, Steve Irvine has been inspired by Hawaii’s beauty since moving here in 1969. He assisted print maker James Koga in a printmaking workshop and in 1981 traveled to China on an art study tour with Linus Chao, who strongly influenced his work. He LEARN MORE >>
Patti Pease Johnson grew up in a family of 10 in rural Minnesota. “As a teenager, my mom took me to art classes with her and we also enjoyed much family camping throughout my childhood. I'm very grateful to my parents for instilling the art of noticing nature's LEARN MORE >>
Kira Kamamalu Lee was born in Hilo Hawaii in 1983. Surrounded by the intense interest in Hawaiian culture by her family and raised in the traditions passed down through her Father’s family, Kira has an inherent interest in preserving Hawaiian history and continuing LEARN MORE >>
Edwin Kayton has been prolific in the mediums of oil, drawings, and sculpture for 25 years. Often called a “renaissance man” by gallery representatives, he recently added the medium of true fresco to his repertoire. Deeply influenced by the works of Rembrandt, LEARN MORE >>
Moses Kealamakia is a “kanaka maoli” (native Hawaiian man) raised in the ranchlands of Waimea on the Big Island of Hawai’i. He graduated from Brigham Young University-Hawai`i Campus with a degree in art, and certification to teach in the state of Hawai`i. In 2015 he LEARN MORE >>
Avi Kiriaty was born in Israel, the son of a dabbling artist, and spent his youth as a keen observer of nature and people. He met his wife on a kibbutz and soon after moved to New Hampshire where they had their first child, Keytoe. Soon after, the Kiriaty family LEARN MORE >>
Caren Loebel-Fried has long been fascinated by cultures living “at one” with nature, and the kinship between people and nature that for most of human history served to sustain people as well as their animal and plant resources.” Her art is inspired by the natural LEARN MORE >>
Since 1982, Kathy Long has called the Big Island “home” once again. Daughter of the well-known artist Mary Koski, she lived in Hilo until she was eight, when her family moved to the U.S. Mainland and later to Europe. There she graduated from one of the oldest LEARN MORE >>
Nelson Makua has been an artist and designer on the Big Island for over 40 years. Born and raised in Kailua, Oahu, he and his ‘ohana moved to the Big Island in 1975, where they reside in Puna, the original home of the Makua ohana. “My ancestors were part of the LEARN MORE >>
My primary medium is encaustics. I happened upon encaustics about 15 years ago when I became bored with waiting for my oil painting to dry and started stripping the wax from my surfboard. As I used a hairdryer to melt the wax off I noticed the dirt mixing in and LEARN MORE >>
Clytie Mead has been painting in watercolor since she was a child. Her parents had an architectural rendering studio in their home, where they worked in watercolor. She was often given an old brush and some paint and paper to keep her occupied. She grew from then to LEARN MORE >>
Born on the Day of the Dead in Houston, Texas, Jacob Medina is an artist of Mexican descent living on the Big Island of Hawaii. After serving in the military with stints to Macedonia, Kosovo, and Germany he received his BA in Art from the University of Hawaii at LEARN MORE >>
Elizabeth Miller found her artistic voice by connecting with the primal forces and elemental forms of nature and an inner passion for preserving native animals, birds and plants when she moved to Volcano in 2004. Born in rural Iowa, she enrolled at Iowa State LEARN MORE >>
Internationally renown for her Award Winning Watercolour on Silk, Gwendolyn O'Connor's Art is proudly exhibited in Public and Private Collections in over 15 Countries and 33 of the United States. Raised in the Islands, Gwendolyn is a resident of the Ola’a district LEARN MORE >>
My paintings are inspired by the beauty of Hawaiian flora and fauna. One of the benefits of living on Hawai`i Island is the ability to travel from mountain to ocean, and rain forest to desert with ease. My painting subjects are the result of my explorations of these LEARN MORE >>
Honolulu-born Harinani Orme is truly following her ancestral path. She was adopted in infancy and always felt she was Hawaiian on some level. When she moved back to Hawai`i from the mainland in 2004, she felt a deep need to find her roots. Her search for her LEARN MORE >>
Vicki Penney-Rohner has lived in Hawai`i for 26 years and studied art in Europe, the U.S. mainland and Hawai`i. Her mediums of choice are soft pastels and oils. Vicki’s work has won numerous awards in juried shows both locally and nationally over the last two LEARN MORE >>
I have loved drawing and the idea of becoming an artist since I was a child growing up in Southern California. I am a self-taught artist enhanced by many workshops given by a variety of accomplished artists over the last 40 years. I first moved to Hawaii in 1974 and LEARN MORE >>
I make my home on the slope of Hualalai Mountain on a lovely five-acre coffee and macadamia nut farm in Kahalu’u, Kona on the island of Hawai’i. The land and its culture inspire in me a deep need to communicate my feelings and perceptions. Images arise from an LEARN MORE >>
Marcia Ray, a fine art painter in the Islands since 1973, is known for her large scale murals. One of the most successful mural accomplishments can be seen at the Parker Ranch shopping center in Kamuela, Hawaii, 32 murals depicting the paniolo (Hawaiian cowboy) LEARN MORE >>
Margo Ray is a contemporary artist whose interdisciplinary practice includes collage, animation and installation. Her work explores print beyond the traditional matrix of 2-D printmaking into the realms of installation that incorporate various print processes. She LEARN MORE >>
Vivid colors, evoking the Hawaiian landscape or interpretive painting, depicting the inner landscape are two aspects of the artistic creations of Big Island artist, Diane Renchler. Born in Los Angeles, California and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada, Diane‘s art career LEARN MORE >>
Catherine Robbins’ bold and evocative oil paintings of Hawaiʻi’s volcanoes and plants reflect her view of a multidimensional and interconnected world. Her work is collected internationally and is represented by several galleries on Hawaiʻi Island. Robbins’ paintings LEARN MORE >>
Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Ginny Seng-Bush moved to Honolulu in 1971. She felt an affinity with the Volcano area from the first time she visited it in 1973 and vowed to live there one day. In 2000 she retired from her job as a civilian computer analyst for the LEARN MORE >>
Christina Skaggs simultaneously grew up between the alternate universes of Queens and the rural tip of Long Island, where she cultivated an appreciation of opposites: one having good delis, and the other, old bones left buried in sand dunes. Before moving to the Big LEARN MORE >>
Arenzo has been a Big Island resident since 1991, moving here from Los Angeles, California. He was educated at The Philadelphia Museum College of Art from 1957 to 1962, where his major course of study was Interior Design, which included architectural concept and LEARN MORE >>
Margaret has immersed herself in the natural beauty and history of Hawai`i Island. During the 20 years that Margaret has lived in the Puna Rain Forest, she created colorful acrylic paintings that reflect the dynamic natural forces at work near Hawai`i’s active LEARN MORE >>
Formerly known as a doll maker, Linda Stevens is now recognized for her reverential paintings of Hawaiian themes. Most of her paintings are inspired by her love of Hawaiian myths, legends, and of the land itself. In 2003, her “Pele” was honored as one of the LEARN MORE >>
Esther Szegedy was born in Toronto, Canada to Hungarian parents and began her first days of school not knowing a word of English. Her parents had moved from Europe to Canada after being in a refugee camp in Great Britain. Needless to say, she knew what it was like as LEARN MORE >>
Born in Europe, Jessica grew up traveling the world with her adventurous parents. Her grandfather in Prague was a patron of the arts and his collection inspired her at an early age to become an artist. She credits Ken Dixon with being her most influential teacher LEARN MORE >>
An `olapa (daner) and ho`opa`a (drummer/chanter) with Halau o Kekuhi for 25 years. She was given her Hawaiian name in 1975 by her first Kumu Hula Aunty Edith Kanaka`ole. In January 2007, Kiwala`o was elevated to Kumu Hula in an ancient “uniki” LEARN MORE >>
Tai Lake is a master woodworker known far and wide for his artfully designed furniture and sculptures; Mary Jo Lake holds the fort together and is wild about fused glass; and son Jonah Lake is the full-time assistant in the woodshop while banging out endless LEARN MORE >>
Daniel is almost alone in his mastery of the demanding technique of stone lithography. Virtually no other artists currently working are able to achieve anything near his subtlety of color and fine detail in stone lithography. One critic observed that Daniel's work LEARN MORE >>
In an era in which the fine arts and crafts have become a big business, Dietrich Varez remained an outstanding exception. Dietrich came to Hawai‘i at age 8, when his mother married his stepfather Manuel Varez. After the war-torn Germany he’d known, it was love at LEARN MORE >>
BIOGRAPHY Linda S.Watson was born in San Mateo, California and has lived and worked in the San Francisco Bay Area almost all of her life. She is a painter and mixed media artist currently working and living in the Puna district of the Big Island. She studied Fine LEARN MORE >>
Robert Weiss (b. 1952) is an American painter with over 40 years’ experience as a professional artist in the commercial and fine art fields. As a wee sprout his artistic inclinations were encouraged by a family that included painters, musicians, and writers. From LEARN MORE >>
We look forward to hearing from you. Our main Gallery in Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park is open daily from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Our Niaulani Campus Admin Office & Gallery in Volcano Village is open Monday-Friday, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.
Volcano Art Center Niaulani Campus Admin Office
19-4074 Old Volcano Rd, Volcano, HI 96785
808-967-7565 (Gallery in HVNP)
808-967-8222 (Admin Office & Mini Gallery in Volcano Village)
Mailing Address
P.O. Box 129 Volcano, HI 96785
Open Daily (Gallery): 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Mon-Fri (Office & Mini Gallery): 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
EXHIBIT: The Hawaiʻi Nei Invitational Exhibition: The Winds and Rains of Kīlauea The Volcano Art Center (VAC) is proud to
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EXHIBIT: Humble Beginnings On display April 3 through May 16, 2021, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., Daily The Volcano Art Center is proud to
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EXHIBIT: A Brush with Light – Volcanic Island Reflections On display January 9th through February 14, 2021, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.,
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