Multifaceted artist

A retrospective features works from his diverse career, transcending style and culture

Hon Chew Hee was born on Maui but raised in China, where he received his early training in Chinese brush-work. Spanning 60 years until his death in 1993, his work was a reflection of his life and studies in China and America, where he also studied at the California School of Fine Arts in San Francisco.

A retrospective of his career is on view at the Louis Pohl Gallery, where viewers can appreciate the full range of his abilities, from watercolors depicting scenes of Hawaii and China to modern serigraphs demonstrating his graphic sensibilities.

After returning to Hawaii in 1933, where he worked as an artist and teacher, a drawing of his won first prize in the Association of Honolulu Artists' 1941 annual show, and an engraving titled "Our Neighbor" won the John Poole Memorial Purchase Prize in the Print Makers' show of 1945.

His paintings were also displayed nationally and internationally in such venues as the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., the National Academy of Design in New York City, Galerie Ariel in Paris, the California Palace of the Legion of Honor, the De Young Museum in San Francisco, and in China and Australia.

His subject matter included people and plantation village life -- including imagery of hanging laundry, landscapes and local flora.

Echoing the sense of place represented by Hawaii, the East and the West, the new-year exhibition also features the work of Takeo, Eric Eugene Kamakahia'ai Chandler and Hank Taufaassau.

Takeo presents a series of luna (or moon)-inspired works in which brush strokes demonstrate Japanese refinement.

Chandler dives into his memory to depict several octopuses in brilliant watercolor that appear to crawl off the painted page.

Hank Taufaassau shows a series of windblown palm trees using heavy brush strokes that contrast with his minimalist palette.

The exhibit continues 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays to Saturdays through Jan. 28. Louis Pohl Gallery is at 1111 Nuuanu Ave. Call 521-1812.