Wait a minute: Collaborative painting? Isn't art a lonely pursuit? Well, yes, usually. But in an unusual experiment, 13 O'ahu artists spent a month painting 13 canvases — together — at Soullenz Gallery in Chinatown.

Mark Brown of Atelier 4 Gallery and Ronen Zilberman (a fine-art photographer) of Soullenz donated 13 canvases to the cause.

Artists brought in tubes and pots of water-based paint (everything from house paint to professional artist-quality acrylics), brushes, rollers and palette knives.

Artists moved from canvas to canvas, adding a line here, a stroke there, a splotch in the corner. Canvases were often turned upside down or sideways to change the orientation.

The only rule: When Zilberman says it's pau, it's pau. No negotiating. Not another smear of paint. It gets taken off the wall and put aside for auction (see box).

The driving forces behind the effort, which Soullenz calls"Define Awareness — Waiting for Humanity to Happen," are Chuck Davis, James Dover and Allen Stamper. They invited 10 other artists to paint at will.

"It's the most creative game in town," said Davis, a professional artist who exhibits at the Gallery at Ward Centre and teaches art at the Academy Art Center at Linekona. "It's new territory and they (the owners of Soullenz, Zilberman and Erica McMillan) are willing to take risks and blaze a new trail for creative expression."

McMillan, an artist and favorite artists' model, calls the effort "a conversation with brushes and canvases. It's a challenge to let go of your ego. You have to be detached right away, because you don't know what someone else is going to do next."

James Dover of Kuli'ou'ou talked about his collaborative efforts since April 2, when the canvases were christened: "I might be under a layer of paint, but I'm still there. I can paint something and Chuck may paint over it, or Paul may add to it. I try to keep my focus open with the idea of developing an aesthetic."

Artist Tom Smith of Hawai'i Kai always painted in oils, but he learned to love the fluidity of acrylics while operating in the atmosphere of ease and camaraderie at Soullenz.

"Artists work in studios by ourselves, but this gives us a chance to get away from our solitude and be like an actor," said Smith. "All this energy is bouncing off the walls, and you get out of your box and have this organic thing evolving. "You feel almost like you're performing on a stage, finding your way in a public place."

Soullenz sees "Define Awareness" as a step in the direction of taking the gallery from a place where artists can hang their work to a place where artists gather.

Zilberman plans to sponsor more events for artists that are "open and theatrical, and interesting even for a beginning artist.

"We're all artists, and we're trying to showcase each other's talents."

The hope is to establish a haven for all types of creative endeavors: music, dance, the spoken word.

"Soullenz wants to become an intersection for creative people," Davis explained. "They're growing something by and for the arts community."

Meanwhile, the collaborative paintings have a life of their own. They are lively and whimsical and, simply put, fun to look at and spend time with.

When they are auctioned off at the end of May, the proceeds will go to Soullenz to help support the struggling gallery's efforts for the arts.