COURTESY OF DOUG YOUNG "He Who Loves My Dog," by Dorothy Faison, is part of the "Dog Gone Days" exhibit at The Gallery at Ward Centre.

‘Dog Gone Days’

Top local artists bid a fond aloha to The Year of the Dog in this whimsical show

The Gallery at Ward Centre has gathered some of Hawaii's top talent for "Dog Gone Days," a tribute to 2006's Year of the Dog. The fun show, which runs through Thursday, features the works of Jodi Endicott, Dorothy Faison, John Koga, Deborah Nehmad, Cade Roster, Frank Sheriff, Esther Shimazu, Masami Teraoka, Roy Venters, Cora Yee and Doug Young.

"Dog Gone Days" evokes all the familiar emotions that "man's best friend" elicits: among them, warmth, humor and heart. Roster's lighthearted miniature sculptures depict dogs in adventurous, dramatic activities; one dog is poised atop a bonsai grass hill, donning paper wings and goggles, prepared to take flight. Another is bedecked in colorful, ornate kabuki costume. Venters adorns wood and metal with baubles and buttons for his piece, while Faison's paintings convey the idyllic solitude that a dog's presence lends its environment.

The Gallery at Ward Centre is open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays to Saturdays, and to 7 p.m. Sundays. Call 597-8034.

COURTESY OF DOUG YOUNG John Koga's humorous "Man's Best Friend."

COURTESY OF DOUG YOUNG Doug Young's "Dog Singing #1," an acrylic, rice paper, inkjet, resin and Apple Photobooth piece.

COURTESY OF DOUG YOUNG Cade Roster's "Leo's Ilio," above, is a mixed media piece.

COURTESY OF DOUG YOUNG "Dog #4" by Jodi Endicott, a work in pencil on three panes of glass.

COURTESY OF DOUG YOUNG Esther Shimazu's "Forgot to Bite You"