Rebekah’s Studio

The main branch of the Hawaii State Library on 478 S. King Street at Punchbowl street, downtown Honolulu, is the venue for a showing of art by the Windward Artists Guild. The works of sixteen artists, including me, are represented here in the Reading Room through July 29. It’s a tight show; all of the pieces are pictured in these two photos. Juror Richard Duggan awarded Wendy Roberts the top prize for her triptych, pictured below.

My father brought me to this library nearly every weekend. It was a 45-minute car ride from Wahiawa in those days when I was a child. A library rat, he loved the periodical room and non-fiction. I explored the juvenile section and, when I was older, the stacks. I pored over the scripts of musical shows and was fascinated by the collection of music scores. I found the Hawaii and Pacific collection, and that became my favorite. All of that is still there, although the card catalog drawers have given way to computers, and the green-painted Adirondack chairs in the central courtyard are long gone. Funny how my art has brought me back to the enjoyment of reading ink-on-paper books.