SpiritArt Studio: pressReleases

Spirit Art Studio chosen for finalist for National Park Sculpture

National Park Service Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park P.O. Box 52
U. S. Department of the Interior Hawai’i National Park Hawai’i 96718
Jim Gale, Chief Interpreter
808-985-6010 phone

National Park Service News Release

May 12, 2004

Three Finalists Recommended for Wahi Kapu Sculpture

Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park is one step closer to obtaining an outdoor sculpture for Kilauea Visitor Center. The sculpture will portray the concept of wahi kapu (sacred places) to give park visitors a sense of why Kilauea and Mauna Loa have long been revered by Native Hawaiians.
In the first phase of a two-part selection process, the park’s Kupuna Committee, a long-standing cultural advisory group, reviewed 17 proposals from artists across the state. Each proposal was judged based on a rendering or scale model of the proposed sculpture, a written description of the sculpture as envisioned by the artist, and samples of materials that will be used to create the sculpture.

Three finalists were recommended by the Kupuna Committee. They are Calvin Cook of Na`alehu,
Crystal Lockwood of Pahoa, and John Matsushita of Kailua-Kona. Each of these artists will receive a $1000 honorarium to further develop their designs.

Park superintendent Cindy Orlando said, “I am delighted with the recommendations of the Kupuna Committee. I believe the sculpture will make a big difference in raising visitor awareness of the sacredness of our volcanoes.”

In August, the three finalists will present their fully-developed sculpture designs to the Küpuna Committee. Based on the committee’s recommendation, the park will select one proposal and award a $38,000 commission to the artist to create the sculpture.

This artwork is funded through a collaborative project of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, the Volcano Art Center, The Mountain Institute, the Hawai`i Tourism Authority, and the Ford Foundation.

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"Harbor Gallery to feature Wood Art from two local Artists March 10, 2006"

Individually, the paintings of David “Kawika” Gallegos and the sculptures of Crystal Lockwood embody some of the best art of their kind to be found anywhere in Hawaii. Together, as Spirit Art Studios, they recreate human form and nature in a way that integrates the true spirit and feeling of the people, culture and beauty of these islands with unusual and uniquely created works of art.
Together they will be showing their latest works at Harbor Gallery 2 in Kawaihae, starting with an artist’s reception from 5 to 8 tonight. The gallery is located under the Seafood Bar and next to the Kawaihae Harbor Grill at the intersection of Kawaihae road and Akoni Pule Highway. Refreshments will be served, and there will be entertainment by a group of local Hawaiian musicians by the name of Na Lea Le O Na Kupuna.
Originally a native of the Denver area, David won scholarships in painting and drawing and moved to the west coast, where he eventually earned his Master of Fine Arts degree in Painting and Printmaking from the University of California San Francisco in 1977. He worked with Tamarind Lithographer Ernest DeSoto and produced pieces for the famous “Art for Peace project,” among other exhibitions, from 1978 until 1990. He also traveled throughout the United States and Europe.
The work that David is currently creating is extraordinarily different from anything else to be seen on the island, where he mixes a unique blend of mediums. He starts by selecting a special piece of Koa or Mango wood, veneered to plywood, and sands it many times with finer and finer grits of sandpaper until the surface is perfectly smooth. Then he gets out a wood burning tool, and burns an image into the wood, giving the piece texture as well as distinctive lines that help define the image. Only when he is satisfied with the image does he pull out his oil paints, and by applying 30 or 40 very thin glazes with his brushes, developes the image into the subtle, translucent work that leaves the background wood image showing through, giving each piece a truly spiritual quality.
David has been displaying his work at the Harbor Gallery since it was the Kohala Kollection gallery, going back into the early 90’s. It was during this time that he met Crystal Lockwood, and she started displaying her work in the gallery as well.
Crystal was originally from Sacremento, Calif., recieved her B.A. in Art History from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She has traveled extensively in Europe, studying sculptures in the museums of England, France and Italy.
The root of Crystal’s inspiration is twofold – both the natural shape of the wood itself and the classical nudes of the ancient Greek and Roman masters. Crystal achieves a striking metamorphosis of nature into man from the twisted and gnarled roots and burls she works with, along with Native Hawaiian woods from the Big Island. She challenges a misconception about the durability of wood sculpture by pointing out the familiar collection of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) found in the permanent collection at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art.
After her extensive carving process, Crystal’s sculptures are painstakingly hand sanded, polished with Danish Oil and hand finished with a fortified polyurethane oil for durability. Several of her pieces have now been cast in bronze, and these limited edition pieces are now on display alongside her wooden originals at Harbor Gallery 2.
David and Crystal will be available to answer your questions and describe their newest body of work at a reception in their honor from 5 to 8 tonight at Harbor Gallery 2 in Kawaihae, next to the Kawaihae Harbor Grill and under the Seafood Bar. Refreshments will be served. Contact Gunner, Elli or Barbara at 808-9-880-9100 for more information, or contact them at www.harborgallery.biz.

"Figure Hawaiian" April 16 - May 22nd, 2005

Volcano Art Center Gallery
POB 129, Volcano, HI 96785

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Ter DePuy, Gallery Assistant, Volcano Art Center Gallery
phone: 808-967-7565; e-mail: editor@volcanoartcenter.org
For immediate release:

The Figure Hawaiian Exhibit Opens at Volcano Art Center Gallery
The husband and wife team of Crystal Lockwood and David Gallegos have created a collection of wood sculpture and paintings on wood for their The Figure Hawaiian exhibit at the Volcano Art Center Gallery from April 16 through May 22. The public is cordially invited to attend the opening reception to meet the artists on Saturday, April 16, from 5 to 7 pm. While there is no
charge to visit the gallery, located in the historic 1877 Volcano House near the Kïlauea Visitor Center in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, national park user fees will apply.
The two Puna-based artists take differing approaches to the human figure as well as to wood. Gallegos uses wood as other painters use canvas or paper. He burns his skillful drawings onto koa or mango with heat tools and then subtly colors them with oil paint. He is fascinated by hula movement. Each Gallegos panel painting features one to three hula dancers, strategically
placed to allow the grain of the wood to further enhance his compositions. As a sculptor, Lockwood’s talent lies in imagining the figures already latent in the wood’s natural grain and growth pattern, and judiciously removing just enough stock to allow the figures to emerge. While their approaches may be different, the work of both artists demonstrates a mastery of their respective media as well as a solid and skillful appreciation of the beauty of the human figure both in motion and at rest.
The work in The Figure Hawaiian shows that both artists received classical training. Gallegos earned the Master of Fine Arts at the University of California, San Francisco. He has had numerous one-man shows, on the mainland from Maryland to Alaska with a concentration in the Bay Area of California, plus a number of shows in Japan as well as in Hawaii. Lockwood, who has been sculpting from age seventeen, earned her degree at the University of California at Santa Barbara. Her extensive European study tour included Italy, France and England and brought her into close contact with the masters. Last year, Lockwood’s “Pele” was chosen as one of three finalists in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park’s sculpture competition. The competition “Pele” is one of her graceful sculptures included in the The Figure Hawaiian.
Visitors to the Volcano Art Center Gallery can see The Figure Hawaiian from 9 am to 5 pm daily through Sunday, May 22. For information, phone 808-967-7565 or visit
www.volcanoartcenter.org.