Actor reveals his
artistic side

It's never wise to stereotype people. Just as on the TV series "Lost," layers of character and personality are revealed slowly, over time and only by the grace of the keeper of such details.

Jason Momoa: Finds the beauty in things others overlook

When I met Jason Momoa in 1999, he was fresh from Iowa and a newbie to the Hollywood game, having just landed a "Baywatch-Hawaii" role.

What came across then was that he was amiable, ambitious, hard-working, conscientious and athletic. Only recently I learned he's artistic as well.

As he prepares for his first Hawaii art show, he says he believes in the Japanese aesthetic of "wabi sabi," which finds beauty and nobility in the simple and common, or the perfection in imperfection.

He credits his parents for his sensibility, saying: "Both are full-on artists. My father is a painter and my mom is a crafter, and I was raised with it."

He admits his idea of beauty might differ from others'.

"Sometimes a simple scratch reveals an under-painting on a city wall. I find beauty and fascination in the inconspicuous and overlooked details of life. It can be scribbles and dings or scars that come with life, the things all people carry with them."

Jason Momoa has been painting since he was a child. His works will be on view at The Pegge Hopper Gallery beginning tomorrow and continuing through Nov. 27.