Colors of Kauai at a Hanapepe Gallery

Kauai landscape art lovers can discover the vibrant colors and creativity of local artist and world traveler Grant Pecoff this week.

“The energy here is unlike any place I’ve ever traveled,” said Pecoff who fell in love with Kauai while touring the Hawaiian Islands in 2005 before he ever painted the landscape.

“It was a two-month long trip and Kauai was the last island we saw. There was something so different about it compared to all the other islands. It reached into my heart and soul and grabbed hold of me,” said Pecoff.

Blown away by the landscape and nature he saw and felt, Pecoff and his wife moved from Encinitas, Calif., to Kauai two weeks after their vacation.

Now, the artist will be on display Friday to March 7 in Hanapepe.

 “The beauty here is like something out of a fantasy book,” he raved.

Now he paints in vibrant oil colors what he sees, sometimes even inserting a fantasy cottage, for example where it doesn’t exist, in an oil work entitled “The Napalei Trail.”

The artist has broadened his medium choice to include three-dimensional hand-carved wood relief with oils painted over it.

“I like getting into the workshop and using power tools,” said Pecoff with a sense of joy. “Birch wood works great. It has amazing patterns in it, similar to sky and water patterns.”

The Bright Side owner Kate Enoka is thrilled to include Pecoff as one of the featured artists in the Hanapepe gallery that she opened in May 2013.  Enoka is inspired by Pecoff’s work and his message about living dreams and life to the fullest. She is also living her dream of working with artists.

“My grandmother was a prolific artist,” Enoka said. “She would be so proud of me, almost like a piece of her is being carried on.”

Enoka will be hosting Pecoff at a special reception tonight to kick off a week-long exhibit entitled “Colors of Kauai.”

The Bright Side is at 3890 Hanapepe Road, Hanapepe. (808) 634-8671.

Information; www.thebrightsidegallery.com and www.pecoff.com