Cedar Street Cred
Ask Michael Schnack about local art and he’ll say he grew up surrounded by it. Not just paintings and sculptures, but some of Hawai‘i’s most prominent artists themselves were fixtures in his life.
Watercolor artist John Young rented his first gallery space from Schnack’s father and grandfather. Illustrator and printmaker Louis Pohl was his sister’s godfather. The brother of oil painter Lloyd Sexton Jr. was his surgeon. While attending Punahou School, he made glass sculptures under the tutelage of glassblower Hugh Jenkins in the ’70s.
One of Schnack’s earliest memories was growing up on Pu‘u Panini in Kahala, where he and the other neighborhood kids would visit the nearby house of Shirley Russell — who, in addition to being a noted impressionist painter and printmaker, was also a talented baker that made terrific cookies. It was Schnack’s first encounter with a real working artist.
“I did a lot of art growing up and loved it. I studied with an artist for a little while in Taos after I graduated high school and took a bunch of art courses in college. Then I decided I wanted to eat,” says Schnack, referring to the difficulty many artists experience in securing an income.
Schnack took a few business courses then moved back to Hawai‘i, where he eventually became the curator of the Punahou Art Gallery for many years. When the opportunity arose to open his own gallery in 1999, it was a no-brainer.
“I always dreamt that I’d have a gallery someday. Truthfully, I never really thought it would become a reality,” Schnack says. “Peggy Chun, who was a good friend and always participated in the Punahou Carnival auction, she kept encouraging me and saying I should do it.” Chun, like many of those who worked with Schnack at the Punahou Art Gallery, knew he had a talent for not only showcasing artwork but cultivating a network of artists and art collectors.
When Schnack chaired the Punahou Carnival’s art show and silent auction for the first time in the early 2000s, it was the first year that two-dimensional artwork was placed alongside three-dimensional sculptures (instead of being separated in different spaces), which facilitated sales. Schnack redesigned the display system to make it easier to read and bid on items. He had the idea to track who was selling art and who was buying art, so the gallery could be sure to invite those individuals to auction the following year.
This thoughtful approach was the same business savvy that Schnack brought with him when he opened Cedar Street Galleries in 1999. More than a quarter-century later, this tucked-away gallery has grown to become one of Hawai‘i’s biggest repositories of local art. Schnack estimates there are close to 100 artists on display at Cedar Street Galleries at any given time, with more than 5,000 additional pieces of art available between the main gallery, two storerooms, and an off-site storage facility.
“We always advise, if people see something they want on our website, to call us first to verify we have the art — and that we know where it is. Most of these items go back many years,” says Schnack.
Cedar Street Galleries also hosts between six to nine art exhibitions a year in a cozy upstairs space above their main gallery. From now through Aug. 18, 2024, that includes works by painters Sandra Blazel and Brenda Cablayan, and woodcarver Francisco Clemente.
Blazel, who grew up with fond memories of playing under her grandparents’ monkeypod tree in Manoa, paints nature scenes inspired by old Hawai‘i; a time when “the pace was a little slower, the trade winds carried the light scent of plumeria, and the tuahine mist of Manoa arrived every afternoon.”
Old architecture and street scenes are what inspires Cablayan, who was raised in California but lives and paints in Hawai‘i. Her thoughtful acrylic paintings depict local life, from the streets of downtown Honolulu to homes beside Kane‘ohe Bay. Meanwhile, Clemente is a self-taught woodworker who creates eclectic and experimental vessels by bending, carving, and dyeing wood into imaginative shapes. Born and raised in Spain, Clemente was a general contractor by trade before he moved to the Islands and began working (and having fun) as a professional artist.
From Sept. 6 to Oct. 12, 2024, Cedar Street Galleries will present Hawai‘i’s Modern Master, an exhibition of 30-plus works by famed watercolor painter and ceramist Charlie Higa. Using delicate brushwork and a subtle color palette, Higa was known for his remarkable watercolors, and his ability to convey the distinctive look of watercolor onto ceramics. His talent was knowing exactly how glazes would look once fired in a kiln, allowing the artist to pioneer new painting techniques and create one-of-a-kind ceramic pieces.
“My job is basically to make sure there’s always good stuff in front of people. I love turning folks onto works of art that they fall in love with, because it’s so good for the soul,” Schnack says. “I’m always excited about the newest next piece that comes through our doors.”
Cedar Street Galleries, 817 Cedar St., (808) 589-1580, cedarstreetgalleries.com