Island Treasures: Glyph Art Gallery – Hōlualoa
Art Gallery is a warm and inviting space in the heart of Hōlualoa’s coffee and art country, offering a wide range of two and three-dimensional artwork from local artists and artisans. Glyph and Shelly Maudsley White’s ‘Ohana Gallery are two new additions to a village that continues to reinvent itself as a destination for art, coffee and culture.
Glyph is owned by Ron and Lisa Haake, who are now in their ninth year of calling Hōlualoa and Hawai‘i Island home. Ron owned and ran a scenery and modelmaking studio in San Francisco for 27 years before deciding it was time to leave the rat race in the Bay Area. Lisa is a Montessori teacher and jewelry designer, specializing in woven, cast, and formed jewelry in precious metals.
Ron changed careers and became a fine art digital printer for local artists and photographers when he moved here, a business he still engages in. In late 2015, the couple expanded and opened Glyph as a new art venue, offering the work of over 20 artists, including their own.
“Our goal is to offer a wide range of styles in as many different genres as possible, especially some of the less widely offered mediums. We like to expand our client’s art options, and present as much unique work as possible in the context of contemporary Hawaiian styles and tastes,” says Ron. “That encompasses everything from realistic to highly stylized and fully abstract. By my definition, that also includes traditional Hawaiian cultural pieces, and art heavily inspired by the rich history of the islands. Often the juxtaposition works surprisingly well.”
A partial list of offerings on paper and canvas includes oils and acrylics, watercolor, block printing, pastel, colored pencil, charcoal, and digital art. Hawai‘i is known for its marvelous woods and woodworkers, and Glyph carries marquetry and pyrographic pieces, wood sculptures and art furniture, as well as wall art created from exotic woods and resin. There are also ceramics, jewelry and photography on canvas, paper and aluminum offered. You will find many established names, but also emerging artists.
Ron describes their market as geared more toward a balance of full- and part-time Big Island residents and visitors. “Hōlualoa isn’t on the way to much these days”, Ron adds, “so most gallery visitors are here because they made a conscious effort to get here. Many come for lunch or dinner at our wonderful Holuakoa Gardens and Café, are here to browse the shops and galleries, or often both. We see quite a few second home clients, and have also made a lot of connections with full- and part-time residents at the monthly First Friday After Dark event we are privileged to participate in. It’s a great community event combining art, music and food and Lisa and I have met a lot of great people through that.”
“Of course, advertising in Ke Ola Magazine has also been a great way to spread the word about the gallery. Life is good.” ❖
Glyph Art Gallery
76-5933 Māmalahoa Hwy., Hōlualoa
808.769.1550
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