Madge Tennent, born Madeline Cook in Dulwich, England, moved with her family to Cape Town, South Africa when she was five.  At the age of twelve, she entered an art school in Cape Town, and the following year her parents, who recognized and encouraged her talent, moved to Paris to enable Madeline to study there.  In Paris, she studied figure drawing under William Bouguereau, an experience that laid the technical foundation for her later figural drawings and paintings.  She and her family subsequently returned to South Africa, and after her marriage in 1915 to Hugh Cowper Tennent, she relocated to his native New Zealand.  In 1917 they moved to British Samoa where Tennent started her love affair with the Polynesian people.  While on leave in Australia, she studied with Julian Ashton "and learned" she said, "to draw for the very first time.  Julian Ashton founded the Sydney Art School in 1890.  He was an ardent disciple of Impressionist painting and claimed to have executed the first "plein air" landscape in Australia.  In 1923 the Tennents left Samoa to go to England, stopping in Hawai'i.  They were entranced with the islands and decided to stay.

Madge Tennent helped to support her family by taking commissions to paint and draw portraits of children.  A friend's gift of a book on Gauguin set her on an artistic course that lasted fifty years, during which she portrayed Hawaiian women in a style that increasingly became her own.  She was active in Hawai'i from the 1930's to the 1960's.  "The Hawaiians are really to me the most beautiful people in the world: she once said, "no doubt about it - the Hawaiian is a piece of living sculpture".  Using grand swirls of oil Tennent portrayed Hawaiian women as solidly fleshed and majestic - larger than life - capturing in rhythmic forms the very essence of their being.  They are strong, serene and proud.  Her method of working with impasto - applying thick layers of paint to achieve a graceful, perfectly balanced composition - is evident in Lei Queen Fantasia.  Everything on the canvas whirls.  The paint is applied in whirls in what might be called the "Tennent whirl" - the colors bright and luminous.  Tennent envisioned Hawaiian Kings and Queens as having descended from Gods of heroic proportion, intelligent and brave, bearing a strong affinity to the Greeks in their legends and persons.  She was criticized for her portrayal of larger size women but to her Hawaiian women fulfilled the standards of classic Greek Beauty.

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Jean Charlot was born in France in the 1880's.  He had Aztec ancestors and moved with his mother to Mexico after studying at the Ecole de Beaux arts in Paris and serving as an artillery officer at the end of WWI.  

He quickly established himself in the art community of Mexico City in the very early 1920's and befriended Diego Rivera and David Alfaro Siqueiros and Jose Orozco, main figures in the Mexican Mural movement of the early twenties that quickly spread to the USA.

Charlot and the others visited the USA and taught - mostly in New York City - the true fresco technique, which Charlot taught to the other Mexican muralists.  In 1947, Jean Charlot moved his family to Colorado Springs, Colorado to take over as head of the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center Art School from which Boardman Robinson had just retired.  He also taught at the private school for boys in Colorado Springs, The Fountain Valley School.

Charlot resigned over a dispute involving tenure and other differences of opinion with the administration of the Art Center.  He moved to Hawaii to teach at the University and remained there for about thirty years until his death in 1979.  He won many awards for his work.

He has written many scholarly essays and books and lectured and taught at a host of schools.  He is the person who single-handedly resurrected the work of Jose Guadalupe Posada, the great Mexican engraver of popular art - especially the "Day of the Dead" skeleton figures that are so well known today.

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Margaret Fleming Waldron had a long relationship with Waimea, on the island of Hawaii, and Hawaii. Before she moved to the town of Waimea, she had a distinguished career in Honolulu where from her art studio she and her associates produced products of copper, silver, crystal and native materials for jewelry, textiles, and other home furnishings fro Grossman Moody Ltd. of Waikiki Beach.

She was Artist Coordinator for the Hawaii Pavilion at the 1929 San Francisco World's Fair; she taught textile design at the Honolulu Academy of Arts, and in 1950 was artist and color director for the remodeling of Straub Medical Clinic in Honolulu.

In 1962, she was once again chosen to be Artist Coordinator for the Hawaii Pavilion at the Seattle World's Fair. Margaret was regularly featured in the early "Paradise of the Pacific" magazines and had numerous one-woman shows throughout Hawaii and the Mainland.

Kama'aina residents of Waimea will remember with fondness a lady with white hair and piercing blue eyes who planted her easel in various parts of the town and painted the flowers and landscapes of our Waimea aina. Her studio was located in her house at the corner of Opelo Road and Hoku’ula Street.

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Shirley Ximena Hopper Russell (1886–1985), also known as Shirley Marie Russell, was an American artist best known for her vivid paintings of Hawaiian landscapes and still lifes of tropical flowers. Born in Del Rey, California, she graduated from Stanford University in 1907, where she discovered her passion for art. After marrying Lawrence Russell in 1909 and losing him just three years later, she began teaching and painting in Palo Alto.

In 1921, Russell moved to Hawai‘i with her son and made it her permanent home. She studied under artist Lionel Walden and traveled to Europe throughout the 1920s and 1930s, including studying in Paris, where she was influenced by Cubism. Russell became a beloved art teacher at President William McKinley High School in Honolulu, where she inspired many future Hawai‘i artists.

In the mid-1930s, Japanese publisher Watanabe Shozaburo released several of her woodblock prints, mostly floral in subject, along with a California landscape titled Carmel Mission. Throughout her career, she had solo exhibitions at the Honolulu Museum of Art and also taught at the University of Hawai‘i and the museum’s school.

Though she primarily painted in a representational style, Russell was a strong advocate for modern and abstract art. She mentored a generation of Hawai‘i artists, including Satoru Abe and John Chin Young, and remained dedicated to her practice, painting almost daily until her death in Honolulu at age 98.

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A self-taught Native Hawaiian artist, Ernest Naho‘olewa was born and raised in Kapahulu, Honolulu. Though largely self-directed in his practice, he studied intermittently at the Honolulu Academy of Arts, refining his craft while remaining deeply rooted in personal and cultural expression. Most active during the 1960-1990s, Naho‘olewa often turned to his own family for inspiration, capturing the spirit, dignity, and everyday beauty of Hawaiian life.

His work moved through distinct creative periods: from stylized portraits reflecting the regal fashion of the Kalākaua and Ka‘iulani eras, to expressive interpretations of modern ‘auana hula dancers, and later, a powerful return to ancestral imagery. In his final body of work, he conducted research at the Bishop Museum to create a collection depicting ancient Hawaiian figures, incorporating intricate kapa patterns and motifs with reverence and precision.

Though his artistic output was sporadic, due in part to his quiet dedication as a caregiver and church servant, his paintings were exhibited at venues including the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, Ward Centre, and a gallery in Punalu‘u. His work is held in select private collections, notably those of the late Regina Kawānanakoa, realtor Jovanna Giannasio-Fern, Dolores Furtado Martin, and the Gallery Hawaiiana collection. He was also the long-time partner and creative influence of the artist Le Branch, a connection that further underscores his quiet yet enduring presence in the Hawaiian art world.

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Charles Bartlett was an English artist celebrated for his watercolor paintings and woodblock prints, particularly those inspired by his extensive travels through Asia and the Pacific. After training at the Royal Academy in London and the Académie Julian in Paris, he experienced personal tragedy with the death of his first wife and child. He spent time in Europe painting scenes of peasant life, earning acclaim for his expressive use of watercolor and becoming one of the founding members of the Paris-based Société Peinture à l'Eau.

In 1913, Bartlett and his second wife embarked on a journey through India, Ceylon, Indonesia, and China, eventually arriving in Japan in 1915. There, he met publisher Watanabe Shozaburo and began translating his watercolor scenes into woodblock prints—works marked by rich color and elegant simplicity. In 1917, the couple traveled to Hawai‘i intending only a brief visit, but were so taken by the islands’ beauty and spirit that they decided to settle in Honolulu. Bartlett became an influential figure in the local art scene, receiving portrait commissions from prominent Hawaiians and continuing his collaboration with Watanabe to produce prints that reflected both traditional Japanese techniques and Hawaiian subjects.

In Hawai‘i, Bartlett helped shape the local art community, co-founding the Honolulu Printmakers in 1928 and contributing the first gift print for their annual exhibition in 1933. Though many of his original woodblocks were destroyed in the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake, enough were salvaged to allow continued printing into the 1920s. A major exhibition of his work was held at the Honolulu Academy of Arts in 1939, the year before his death. His contributions to Hawai‘i’s cultural landscape remain significant, with a 2001 retrospective showcasing the full breadth of his print and painting legacy.

Until his death in 1997 John Young was undoubtedly one of the dominant individuals in Hawaii's art community. He was born in Honolulu on March 26,1909, the son of Chinese immigrants and began drawing at the
age of eight, stimulated by Chinese calligraphy, which he learned in Chinese language school.

Young had his first and only art lessons while a student at McKinley High School in Honolulu. Thereafter, his art was entirely self-taught and nurtured through a life-long interest in the art and artifacts of many cultures. John Young had his first exhibition at the Honolulu Academy of Arts in Honolulu in 1930. Ten years later he won first prize at the annual exhibition of the Association of Honolulu Artists.

In the following years, John Young had numerous solo shows in Honolulu, Portland, San Francisco, Seattle, Dallas, Santa Barbara, and Los Angeles, where he found many admirers of his work.

Many of Young's works on canvas or paper appear ultimately rooted in his study of classical Chinese paintings where a sense of vitality is conveyed in spontaneous brush lines. He once described his style as abstract impressionist. It is a style which emerged and evolved over the years and found expression through a number of media including woodcuts, watercolors, oils and acrylics. Gaiety of line and color became the hallmark of his mature style.

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Born in Kiangsi, China, in 1942, Lau Chun demonstrated interest in art at the age of ten.  After graduating from high school, he entered the Canton School of Fine Arts for two years.  With a solid foundation in the ordered and exacting style of classical Asian artists, he left for Hong Kong.

In 1962, while living in Hong Kong, Lau was hired by Francis Bodo, a noted Mexican artist, to paint murals and mosaics.  He worked with Bodo for eight years- the mosaic backgrounds in many of Lau's paintings are not by accident.

In 1968, the Revox Corporation of Switzerland bestowed a two-year scholarship grant upon Lau, enabling him to study extensively in Europe.   Revox sponsored exhibits of his work in Hamburg and Copenhagen at the end of the two-year period.  Attracted by the light and color of the Hawaiian islands, the artist settled in Honolulu in 1971.

While Lau has been inspired by the French Impressionists, he developed a distinctive style that reinvents the tenets of classical impressionism. The uniquely textured paint surface is abstract up close but, at a distance, perfectly captures the spirit and values of his subjects.

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Born on November 22, 1891, in Philipsburg, Pennsylvania, James A. Eskridge moved to Pasadena, California, as a child, where his early interest in art was nurtured. He pursued formal studies at the Los Angeles College of Fine Arts, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts, and later studied in Paris with noted artists George Senseney and André Lhote. Eskridge traveled widely, particularly in Spain and the South Seas, experiences that deeply influenced his artistic style and subject matter. Before settling in Hawai‘i, he lived in Chicago, New York, and Coronado Beach, California, between 1917 and 1932.

In 1932, Eskridge moved to Honolulu, where he became a faculty member at the University of Hawai‘i, teaching until the outbreak of World War II in 1941. Deeply inspired by island life, he not only created art but also authored and illustrated several books, including Umi, the Hawaiian Boy Who Became King, My South Seas Playmates, and Manga Reva, which captured the spirit and stories of the Pacific. His body of work included paintings, illustrations, and public murals, such as those at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel and the Ala Moana Pavilion.

Eskridge exhibited widely throughout his career, earning recognition at events such as the 1915 Panama-Pacific Expo in San Diego (bronze medal), the Art Institute of Chicago (1928 prize), and the 1933 Century of Progress Expo in Chicago. His works are part of major collections including the Bishop Museum in Honolulu. He passed away in Honolulu on April 16, 1975, leaving behind a rich legacy as both an artist and storyteller of Hawai‘i and the South Seas.

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Patric Bauernschmidt, a gifted medical illustrator and portrait artist, made a lasting impact on the arts in Hawai‘i after settling in Honolulu in 1969. Best known locally for her commissioned portraits of the Hawaiian Ali‘i for Kawaiaha‘o Church, Bauernschmidt captured the dignity and spirit of Hawai‘i’s cultural figures through her refined, historically grounded style. Among her most recognized works are portraits of the late Princess Abigail Kawānanakoa and the late Samuel Amalu, both of which reflect her deep respect for the islands’ heritage and royal lineage.

In addition to these notable commissions, Bauernschmidt contributed more than eighty paintings to institutions across Hawai‘i, including the Hawaiian State Capitol, Straub Clinic, Tripler Army Hospital, and the Queen Lili‘uokalani Children’s Center. Her art can also be found in schools, hotels, and churches throughout the islands, making her one of the most widely represented portrait artists in the state. Through both public and private collections, her work continues to resonate with generations of Hawai‘i residents and visitors alike.

An active figure in the local arts community, Bauernschmidt served as past president of the Association of Honolulu Artists and was a member of several national arts organizations. Her legacy lives on not only in her paintings but in the cultural and historical awareness she helped foster through her portraits, lectures, and community involvement.

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Leo Lloyd Sexton, Jr. was born in Hilo and educated at Punahou School before attending the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston in 1931. Early in his career, he exhibited floral works at Vose Galleries in Boston, followed by showings at the Honolulu Academy of Arts and Gump’s in San Francisco. He spent several years painting and studying in Europe, including winters at the Slade School in London, where he won first prize in his final year. His work was twice accepted into the prestigious Royal Academy in London, including the painting Nanea in 1937—the same year he returned home to Hilo and began focusing on figure painting and portraiture.

Sexton’s career was marked by a deep and enduring connection to Hawai‘i. He completed commissioned portraits, including two early works for the Hawaiian Pineapple Company in 1934, and became a frequent exhibitor in Honolulu. His solo shows at Grossman-Moody Gallery and the Hilton Hawaiian Village, as well as a 1966 retrospective at the Contemporary Arts Center, solidified his place among Hawai‘i’s most respected artists.

While known for his evocative landscapes, Sexton had a lifelong passion for florals. His first solo exhibition in Hawai‘i, at the Honolulu Academy of Arts in 1933, consisted entirely of floral paintings. Critics praised his ability to simplify line and tone, creating a decorative, almost modern character that remains timeless. His florals are especially prized by collectors, with works held in the Laurance A. Rockefeller Collection at the Mauna Kea Resort.

At Gallery Hawaiiana, we are proud to steward Sexton’s legacy and share his work with new generations. His ability to capture both the natural beauty and emotional atmosphere of Hawai‘i places him firmly among the artists we feel privileged to represent.

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Pil Soon Conklin was a celebrated Hawai‘i-based artist known for her expressive watercolors and paintings, ranging from detailed representational works to bold abstract compositions. A student of the Honolulu Academy of Arts and the University of Hawai‘i, Conklin developed a style deeply inspired by the natural beauty of the islands. Her large, dramatic seascapes—often portraying the powerful ocean crashing against the shore—became a signature of her work.

Over the years, Conklin received numerous awards for her art and was widely exhibited, with shows at the Honolulu International Center, the Ala Moana Easter Arts Festival, the Hawai‘i State Fair, the Hawai‘i County Fair, and First Hawaiian Bank. Her work is held in the permanent collections of the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, Waialae Country Club, Central Pacific Bank, and the Cinerama Reef Hotel.

A generous spirit, Conklin often donated her artwork to raise funds for causes she believed in, using her creative gifts in service of the community. She was also a close friend of Dolores Martin, mother of Watters Martin Jr., and it is through this cherished relationship that much of her work has been lovingly preserved and collected.

In addition to her artistic accomplishments, Conklin served as a hospital corpsman at Tripler Naval Hospital. She is buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl Crater, a lasting tribute to her life of service, creativity, and aloha.

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David Howard Hitchcock was one of Hawai‘i’s most prominent landscape painters, widely regarded for his powerful interpretations of the Hawaiian environment—especially its volcanic landscapes. His career spanned more than six decades, with his most prolific period between 1905 and 1930. Hitchcock was known not only for his vivid volcano paintings but also for mural-size works and dioramas that captured the drama and beauty of island life.

Born in Hilo, Hitchcock was the first Hawai‘i-born artist to receive formal art training. Inspired early on by French painter Jules Tavernier, he later studied at the California School of Design, the Académie Julian in Paris, and in New York. His volcano paintings gained international attention, sparking tourism interest and acclaim. Hitchcock was also a founding member of the Kilohana Art League, a pivotal organization that supported the arts in Hawai‘i for two decades.

Hitchcock’s work was exhibited at major events such as the Alaska-Yukon Exposition in 1907 and the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in 1915. Throughout his life, he painted extensively across the islands—from the fiery landscapes of Kīlauea to the majestic cliffs of Waimea Canyon—and created commissioned pieces for the Inter-Island Steam Navigation Company.

In his later years, he taught painting at Punahou School and continued to receive honors for his contributions to the arts. His work is held in the collections of the Honolulu Museum of Art, the Bishop Museum, the Boston Museum, and other notable institutions. With their luminous tones and dynamic brushwork, Hitchcock’s paintings remain iconic reflections of Hawai‘i’s natural splendor and are highly sought after by collectors today.

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Ralph Burke Tyree was an American artist best known for his evocative portraits of South Pacific islanders throughout the 20th century. Born in 1921 in Kentucky and raised in California, Tyree showed early talent in portraiture, earning a scholarship to the California College of Arts and Crafts for a painting of his high school sweetheart, Marguerite (Margo) Almeida. He studied further in San Francisco and briefly worked for Disney before enlisting in the U.S. Marines during World War II. Stationed in American Samoa, he served under General Charles Price, creating murals, maps, portraits, and other commissioned artworks for the military.

Tyree’s portrait career began during the war, painting fellow Marines and their loved ones while sending lengthy love letters back to Margo. After the war, the couple married and raised seven children. In 1952, Tyree returned to the South Pacific with his family, living for extended periods in Guam, O‘ahu, Maui, and Hawai‘i Island. These islands became both home and inspiration, as he continued traveling and painting scenes from places like Palau, Fiji, Tahiti, Samoa, and the Solomon Islands.

Over a career spanning three decades, Tyree became widely known for his lush, romantic portraits of island women—often set against tropical backdrops of beaches or jungle foliage. Working primarily in oils on board, and occasionally with pastels or canvas, he captured the beauty and mystique of Pacific life. His work remains a significant visual record of Polynesian and Micronesian culture during the mid-20th century, with Hawai‘i serving as a central and enduring muse. During his time in Lāhainā, Tyree’s work was admired and collected by the Martin family, and several of his pieces remain in their permanent collection today.

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Little is known about the enigmatic artist Nancy Lane, but her bold and colorful paintings remain as vivid reminders of her time in Lāhainā during the 1960s and 1970s. Though not originally from Maui, Lane was active in the local art scene, selling her works at various shops along Front Street, where her expressive style and striking use of color caught the eyes of locals and visitors alike.

Stories of her life are as vivid as her canvases—some recall her living in caves, embracing a bohemian lifestyle marked by both intensity and independence. A true perfectionist, Lane was known to destroy her own paintings when unsatisfied, often starting over until a piece fully met her vision. While much of her personal history remains a mystery, the passion and raw energy of her work endure.

Several of her paintings found their way—somehow—into the Gallery Hawaiiana collection, where they continue to captivate with their unconventional spirit and fearless use of color. Lane’s life and legacy may remain partly hidden, but her art speaks volumes about a woman unafraid to live—and paint—on her own terms.

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Born Allan Busey, Mark Le Buse led a life of reinvention and creativity, spanning Hollywood film sets, the shores of Lāhainā, and the sculpture parks of Western Australia. After serving in the Navy and working as a shipfitter during World War II, he entered the world of Hollywood prop-making, contributing to iconic Paramount films such as Shane, Elephant Walk, The Bridges at Toko-Ri, and 3 Ring Circus.

In the late 1950s, Le Buse relocated to Hawai‘i, drawn by the island air and the promise of a new life. He set up a small shop on Front Street in Lāhainā, where he became locally known for his expressive driftwood sculptures and delicate ivory carvings. Sourcing materials from the beaches along his drives to Wailuku, Le Buse developed a deeply tactile and organic style that resonated with both visitors and residents. He was a tenant of the Furtado family and became a fixture of Maui’s creative scene, later selling his work out of the Kona Inn on Hawai‘i Island.

By the mid-1960s, following advice from a Shinto priest, he legally changed his name to Mark Le Buse—a numerologically auspicious identity he shared with his second wife, Jill. He also took on small acting roles in Ride the Wild Surf and Hawaii Five-O, adding yet another creative dimension to his life.

Le Buse eventually left Hawai‘i in 1971, spending several years in the Philippines before settling in Western Australia. There, he turned his focus to large-scale public sculptures, creating over 40 monumental limestone works, including a 10-meter-tall Neptune at Atlantis Marine Park—now a protected heritage site.

From fine driftwood carvings on Front Street to colossal sculptures carved into the Australian earth, Mark Le Buse’s work reflects an adventurous, hands-on artistry rooted in place, material, and transformation.

Charles S. Marek (1891–1979) was a Czechoslovakian-born American artist and career military engineer whose love for painting endured throughout a distinguished life of service. He arrived in Hawai‘i in 1915 and spent decades in the islands, contributing both to military infrastructure and the artistic record of its landscapes and coastlines.

Trained at Meyer Both College in Chicago, Marek began his career as a draftsman and served with the U.S. Army during World War I, later returning to Honolulu where he married and resumed his military service. Over the following decades, he rose through the ranks to become Chief Engineer for the Hawaiian Department and served in key roles throughout World War II, including as Real Estate and Contracting Officer for the Pacific Ocean Areas.

After retiring from the U.S. Army in 1951 with the rank of Colonel, Marek turned his attention fully to painting—his lifelong passion. Working primarily in marine and landscape subjects, he captured the beauty and natural rhythms of Hawai‘i with precision and affection.

Though largely self-taught as an artist, Marek brought to his canvases the same careful attention to detail that defined his engineering work. His paintings remain quiet testaments to a life devoted to service, structure, and the enduring beauty of the Hawaiian Islands.

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Stephen Sands (b. 1930) began his artistic journey in earnest in 1964, selling his first painting at the iconic Artist’s Fence in front of the Honolulu Zoo. That moment marked the start of a lifelong vocation—one rooted in observation, travel, and a deep connection to the natural world.

Born in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, Sands studied art and architecture at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), where he honed his technical skills and creative eye. He later had the privilege of working alongside renowned landscape artist Gordon Harris, whose influence helped shape Sands’ painterly approach.

Known simply as “Stephen” among friends and collectors, he spent the 1970s traveling extensively through the South Pacific—including New Caledonia, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, and Tahiti—as well as Alaska and Mexico. Each destination left an imprint on his work, which radiates a vibrant sense of place and reverence for nature.

Whether capturing lush island scenes or distant coastal landscapes, Sands brings a timeless sensitivity to his canvas. His paintings reflect not just what he saw, but how he felt—offering viewers a glimpse into the world through the eyes of an artist moved by beauty.

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Born in Maui, Ruth Leialoha Kanahele was a descendant of Alii Nui Kahekilinuiahumanu and Kahuna Nui Hewahewa. She first studied at the Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles and, subsequently, at the Honolulu Academy of Arts. 

Over the course of a long career, she exhibited widely and with success throughout the Hawaiian islands, including at the Bishop Museum, and was awarded the Maoli Arts Award for commitment to Hawaiian tradition and culture.

A long-time member of the Hale Naua III Society of Hawaiian artists, she contributed to hundreds of exhibitions that served to further public awareness of Hawaii's landscapes and its native culture. 

Through her art, she encouraged the preservation of irreplaceable areas of Hawaii's natural beauty including the sacred native sites of Ka Pae Aina and the spectacular Ko‘olau Mountain Range. Ruth Leialoha Kanahele's Iversen's profound and spiritual Hawaiian landscapes evoke the time-honored indigenous traditions and aspirations of a people that seek to honor the soul of nature and of all natural things.

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