ART REVIEW
Even adults can indulge in this exhibit's childlike whimsy

By Victoria Gail-White

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Dream Worlds-Real Worlds: Children's Book Illustrations by William Joyce Through July 14 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays 1-5 p.m. Sundays Education Wing Gallery, Honolulu Academy of Arts, 900 S. Beretania St. 532-8700 • • • What Is Art? Annual Digital Art Society of Hawaii Show Through July 13 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays Pauahi Tower Gallery, 1001 Bishop St. • • • Dreams Through July 12 9-5 pm daily 1-4 pm Saturdays and Sundays Gallery at the Pali Unitarian Church, 2500 Pali Highway

The carpeted exhibition area of the Education Wing Gallery has low tables surrounded by primary-colored pillows. On display are the best-selling children's books written and illustrated by award-winning Joyce — who was in town recently for a conference on children's literature. Tables with crayons, markers and paper allow kids to enter a contest to win a William Joyce book by drawing a character and pinning it up on the clotheslines.

Hung at eye level for children (which means we grown-ups have to bend a bit,) are illustrations from "Dinosaur Bob," "George Shrinks," "Rolie Polie Olie," "The Leaf Men and the Brave Good Bugs," "Santa Calls," and "Bently and Egg."

These delightfully imaginative and beautifully executed preliminary sketches, proofs and final publication drawings come to life on the walls and on the video screen which continuously plays Joyce's witty and captivating stories-turned-TV series.

Joyce, encouraged by his parents, has been drawing since he was young, as demonstrated in the exhibit in "Cow on Stilts" (age 5), "Monsters with Kong" (age 8) and "Pushing a Boat, Sitting on a Rock" (age 17). The obvious evolution of his creative process and talent is inspiring.

"I love what I do. It's like getting paid for recess," says Joyce, 45.

Gather up some buddies and enjoy the magic of this exhibit before it leaves. Why should kids have all the fun?

It is not really clear if this exhibit answers the question that it poses, but what is clear is that there is a wide variety of digital artists' work on display.

Dreamy, direct, fantastical, abstract, geometric and naive prints fill the marble walls and partitions of the Pauahi Tower Gallery.

"DASH (Digital Art Society of Hawaii) is made up of a group of artists from relatively strong backgrounds in other art forms," said Arthur Nelander, the group's president. "Some of us prefer to be called digital painters."

This bona-fide art form may have a struggle (like many previous ones) establishing itself, but it is here to stay. The present printmaking world can either embrace it or sit back and watch how fast it grows.

Noteworthy works in the show include Sharon Hardie's mixed-media "Youth in Asia" and "Beach Walk" on canvas — sepia-toned, surrealistic and dream-like images that use a golden light to evoke memory. "Art is the communication of the subconscious," she wrote in her statement.

Thomas McCluskey also has used light, candle light to be exact, in his fun "Floating Chairs in 3-D." It is necessary to wear the provided 3-D glasses to get the full impact of his strong use of color, light and dimension in this glossy giclée (a digital spray technique) on paper. In other works, he combines fractal geometric images with realistic subjects in cyberspace.

Arjuna Noor's "The Pavilion," another giclée on paper, is meditative in its frosted tones of blues and lavenders. Jim Egan's "Breadfruit," a direct digital scan, looks ripe enough to slice up, cook and eat.

"Palm Canvas" by Joan Pabst Dubanoski is an engaging digital image with clearly defined textures of bark in tones of gray and brown. Elizabeth Zinn's subdued palette and line movement in "Spectrum" is refined.

Bobby Crockett's "Studio Window" has all the appearance of an abstract monoprint. Crockett has a wider selection of her digital works on exhibit in the "Breaking New Ground" show, which closes today at Kapi'olani Community College's Koa Gallery (take a look at www.honoluluadvertiser.com for the June 9 review).

Several of Arthur Nelander's collection of sexual, abstracted and manipulated figure studies have ironic titles. "Rockwell" at first glance is reminiscent of a Norman Rockwell illustration, but is it not in the wholesome subject matter for which he was known.

Ellen Chapman, Ute Kersting, Kaethe Kauffman (who also teaches at Chaminade) and Stephan (who is a master digital printer) also participate in the exhibit.

My recommendation is that DASH might consider curating next year's exhibit and selecting fewer works. Because of the plethora of prints, some of the pieces were installed so close to the ground that you have to sit on the floor to see them. In the case of Phil Uhi's "Ancestral Shore," one of the most powerful and painterly pieces in the show, this is truly unfortunate.

Thirteen members of DASH will be included in an international digital exhibit, "Tropical Mosaic 2002," curated by Nelander and Mike Booth of World Printmakers of Madrid, Spain.

The show will be open to a worldwide audience tomorrow through Aug. 31 at www.worldprintmakers.com. Information: Arthur Nelander, 239-7698; e-mail: aart@hawaii.rr.com. Or log onto DASH's Web site, www.digitalarthawaii.org.

Midori Curtis, juror of "Dreams," has a personal dream of a newly emerging unitary world, moved forward by the events of our times. Although she lives and works in New York, Hawai'i is her second home, and she wanted to bridge her two homes and share cultures through art and the topic of dreams.

She selected Dan Janik and Johann Bosgra to join her in this exhibit.

Curtis' upbringing in an Asian culture is evident in her prints. "Shooting Stars," "Listen Carefully" and "Dream I, II and III" are combinations of chine-colle (a thin-paper printing technique), roll-up, drypoint, etching and aquatint. Her sense of composition and use of color is understated elegance.

"Flight," an abstract watercolor and tempera by Janik has a pure, Zen-like appealing simplicity.

What seems a bit incongruous with this show, however, is the work of Bosgra, who works primarily in cartoon images of animals and stick figures depicted surfing or enjoying the beach. His work would be more appropriate and entertaining in an exhibit of comics art and would give the primarily abstract artworks in this exhibit the congruence they deserve.