For this artist, it’s about keeping folks busy

The intricate, dynamic, colorfully vibrant urban street art by Pancho Abalos surely does the job of reflecting modern culture. Another intent of his cityscapes, however, is to create pieces so inundated with images that the work itself spills into the realm of the abstract.

"I like to make things so busy that it keeps a person thinking about the actual artwork for a while," Abalos says. "It prevents them from just glancing at it and moving on."

The artist will show his work at Exclusive, the women's boutique in the Hawaiian Life Building, March 22 to April 22, in an exhibit titled "Artist Proof." Exclusive is releasing a special T-shirt design Abalos created for the boutique at a reception 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on the day the show opens.

Born in the Philippines, Abalos has lived in Hawaii for 16 years. He graduated from Campbell High in 1997, dabbled in college for a couple of years, worked the 9-to-5 gig for a few more, then decided to go professional with his lifelong passion.

"I've been doing art since I was able to pick up a crayon," he says.

In the five years since becoming a professional artist, Abalos has garnered honors in juried shows around town, in California and the Philippines. He's also been showing his art online and most recently was part of charity shows in San Diego and New York.

While Abalos says his career has been doing fairly well, he's planning a move to Los Angeles this year.

"It's a bit discouraging in Hawaii," he admits. "The market here is so commercialized. In Los Angeles there are more opportunities. People there are more open-minded. It's not all waves and landscapes."

CORRECTION Tuesday, March 18, 2008 Pancho Abalos is showing his work, "Artist Proof," Saturday through April 22 at Exclusive in the Hawaiian Life Building. His name was misspelled in an article on Page F3 on Sunday. Also, in describing the Hawaii market as "commercialized," Abalos said he meant that the type of art he does is difficult to market here.