GALLERY
On view in the islands

"Eruption," 1970, oil on canvas.

Mental snapshots

---

It was while teaching art at the University of Hawaii-Hilo, in the summer of 1960, that Louis Pohl witnessed a volcanic eruption for the first time. This was to be an event that inspired large bodies of work from an artist who embraced nature as his primary subject.

"Kalapana Day One," 1985, oil on canvas

Pohl held onto the images and sensations of the eruption for years before he ever created artwork inspired by the event, yet the eruption eventually led to an extended series of paintings and prints that Pohl considered mental snapshots.

The Contemporary Museum is showing a collection of Pohl's paintings and prints in a show titled "Volcanoes," at its First Hawaiian Center gallery. The exhibit runs through Sept. 23.

"Halemaumau," 1970, oil on canvas.

"Working with keen observation filtered through memory allowed Pohl to work flexibly with his preferred subject of nature, ... distilling images into symbols of an energy that embraces and transcends a moment of observation," art critic Marcia Morse wrote once of the artist's creative process for the Honolulu Academy of Arts.

"Eruption," 1993, oil on canvas.

Pohl was an Ohio native who studied art at the Cincinnati Art Academy. It was during his stint as a Navy Seabee in 1941 that Pohl first came to Hawaii, where his work was of a more utlitarian nature. He was assigned to paint camouflage on warships in Pearl Harbor.

Pohl's love of nature drew him back to Hawaii in 1945, and he settled here to become an artist and teacher. Pohl taught at Kamehameha Schools, UH-Hilo, the Honolulu Academy of Arts and in his own studio from 1961 to 1979.

"Kalapana Day Seven," 1985, oil on canvas.

In 1994, the state Legislature recognized Pohl as a living treasure for his lifetime achievements.

He died in December 1999 at the age of 84.

"Volcanoes: Paintings and Prints by Louis Pohl" runs through Sept. 23 at The Contemporary Museum at First Hawaiian Center, 999 Bishop St. The gallery is open 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays to Thursdays, 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fridays, and is closed weekends and banking holidays. Call the museum at 526-1322 for more information.

"Flow to the Sea," 1975, mixed media print.

Click for online
calendars and events.