Then and Now: A Retrospective of Charles E. Higa
The Contemporary Museum at First Hawaiian Center
June 8 – September 25, 2007
This retrospective exhibition reveals Charles Higa’s mastery
as an artist in two distinct mediums: watercolor painting and ceramics.
Intrigued by the natural and man-made environment, in his early
watercolors Higa primarily painted landscapes, often with buildings
or villages, and seascapes. More recently he has enjoyed making
abstractions using a bright palette of layered, veil-like colors.
Higa’s ceramics have ranged between sculptural and functional
forms, including bowls, plates and vases, as well as plaques and
his signature “jewel” closed forms. Higa’s rich
glazes vary from earthy brown and rust tones to soft pinks and greens
to brilliant blues and purples to dense blacks.
Charles Higa was born in Honolulu in 1933 into a large family. He
studied fine arts at the University of Hawai’i—Manoa
from 1951 to 1955 and studied with Ken Kingrey, Gustav Ecke, Jean
Charlot, Ben Norris, and Sueko Kimura. While at the UH, he was introduced
to the ceramics department and the works of faculty members Claude
Horan and Harue McVay. Higa was also influenced by the watercolors
of John Marin, Lionel Feininger, Mark Tobey, Morris Graves, and
the geometric color study paintings of Josef Albers. He received
his MA degree from New York University in 1956 and afterward was
sent by the Army to Berlin where he was exposed to Western European
art.
With extensive teaching experience, including as an instructor at
Kapi’olani Community College for 14 years and as an art teacher
at McKinley High School for 21 years, he has made a significant
impact on art education and younger artists in the state.
Higa’s commissioned, site-specific works can be found at the
University of Hawai’i—Manoa Chemistry Building and at
the Honolulu International Airport. His work has been exhibited
nationally and internationally, including in exhibitions in New
York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington D.C., and Japan.
A full-color exhibition catalogue accompanies this exhibition, with
an essay by artist, writer and critic Marcia Morse. Exhibitions
at First Hawaiian Center are organized by Associate Curator/Curator
TCM at First Hawaiian Center, Allison Wong. Supported by First Hawaiian
Bank.
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