PRINCEVILLE — Wildlife artist Patrick Ching of Princeville is set to undertake a new style of art — along with a unique marketing concept — during his show next month at the Princeville Center. Ching is known for his intensely-detailed
PRINCEVILLE — Wildlife artist Patrick Ching of Princeville is set to undertake a new style of art — along with a unique marketing concept — during his show next month at the Princeville Center.
Ching is known for his intensely-detailed paintings of Hawaiian wildlife, including forest birds and marine animals.
For his new exhibit — dubbed “KAI: An Unusually Progressive Ocean Art Show” — Ching will focus on large canvasses with ocean themes and sweeping landscapes.
The style will be more abstract and “looser, faster” than his traditional art, according to a news release, with multiple paintings being created through February and March. The sales will be conducted through a continuous silent Internet auction over a seven-week period as the paintings are being completed.
“I think (the paintings) are really going to appeal to interior designers, and they will be appropriate for large spaces like lobbies, businesses and fine homes,” Ching said. “Some will have marine animals in them. They will have scenes of the sea that look abstract, but they’re actually realistic.”
Ching will set out 10 canvasses, each 36-by-48 inches, and paint them simultaneously in ocean themes. Only the first layer of paint — giving a rough concept of the painting’s subject — will be on the canvasses at the “KAI” Opening Reception, scheduled for Feb. 2 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at the Princeville Center.
From the opening reception onward, the works will be subject to a silent email auction that will continue through the show’s Closing Reception March 23 from 6 to 8:30 p.m.
Beginning Feb. 2, Ching will work almost daily at the gallery, which will be open to the public, generally from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“During the show, people can come and watch me work,” Ching said. “People bidding on a painting may get a chance to put paint on their own paintings.”
Ching says he has not heard of an art show to ever be conducted in this way.
“We will be videotaping and photographing the pieces, and posting the images online as they change.”
Since bidding will be done via email, Ching expects offers will be submitted from the Mainland and internationally. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Kilauea Point National Wildlife Association.
Ching, 50, a professional artist since age 16, has been fascinated by wildlife since childhood. He was an active volunteer with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service before taking a job as a ranger at Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge. He now paints and teaches art full time, although with his teaching and other activities, he has struggled to find time for his own art, according to the release.
“I never get to paint for a month and a half straight anymore,” he said. “And that’s what I’m going to be able to do. I’m really looking forward to it. Chompin’ at the bit.”
To get things started, Ching has decided to reward the individuals who submit initial bids with a free giclee painting, valued at $675.
For more information about Ching or the “KAI” art show visit the website www.patrickchingart.com or call 271-5350. The Princeville Center is located at 5-4280 Kuhio Highway.
