I grew up drinking in Maui's colors.  As soon as I could drive I started out on Maui's roads with my easel, painting en plein air, and today, these colors still nourish me.

Son of Takirirangi Smith, Hingangaroa Smith has attended the Festival of Canoes on Maui for several years. He applies his skills as a young Maori carver in both traditional carving and contemporary interpretations through block prints.

I have found that challenging myself to learn new mediums and different processes has always been exciting. To me, creating sculpture is about expressing a thought or vision and solving the problem of how they translate into different materials.

In Shoemaker's work, the viewer might find themselves in a small world of formalized space and deep pools of color. The depth of these pools is created through Shoemaker's skill with his encaustic, a paint made from beeswax in which pigments may be added to color the wax. He collages the encaustic together with dyed papers and fabrics.

Melissa Chimera, a Honolulu native, is a conservationist and painter. As forester, she moved to Maui to protect The Nature Conservancy's Waikamoi Preserve on Haleakalâ mountain. Her encounters with endangered plants unknown to most except botanists like her husband led her to paint them.

Here in Hawaii, the midpoint between North America and Asia, the art of batik—in which wax relief and dye are used on fabric—is taking a new and spectacular direction. The artist behind this work is Phil Soo.

David R. Groden, Sr. b.1955- Randy began drawing and painting as a young child. Like many artists throughout history, Groden began his career with extensive reading and studying the art of the great Masters. Some who most inspire Groden are Rembrandt, Vermeer, Degas, Lautrec, Homer, and Wyeth. The 1980’s brought Groden’s focus to painting and concentrating on his fine art. This includes murals, landscapes, figures, ballet dancers, and portrait commissions. Groden has exhibited extensively in the U.S. and throughout the world. He has artwork in private collections including England, Japan, Germany, Portugal and the United States. Playboy International TV Network recently chose “sitting for a nude portrait by R. Groden as one of the sexiest things to do before you die”.

"Often it is in nature that I find most inspiration. Even a single blade of grass represents a perfect example of a subtle curve and gentle taper. When I design a piece I think of it as sculpture in the format of furniture. My primary goal is to delight the viewer with furniture that is fresh, unique, alive and playful. Furniture that irresistibly pulls the viewer in for a closer look and the desire to touch. The individual love and attention I give to each piece is evident in their aura and spirit. These pieces have heirloom quality."

Since the early 1980's Takirirangi Smith has served in the role of Tohunga Whakairo (Master Carver), teaching and mentoring Maori carvers at Victoria University in Wellington; Wairarapa Polytechnic; and The Te Heru a Rangi Culture and Education Center, Masteron.

"I really like watching people's faces, eyes, how they move. Since I was a kid, I've been watching people," says Wynne. "When you paint someone you get a sense of them that you can't get by talking to them—their spirit, maybe. It's a way of connecting. Something happens in the process; it moves me. I don't know of anything like it."