Hawaiian landscape art has always carried deep meaning for people in Hawaiʻi and beyond. Long before photography became widespread, painters played a crucial role in preserving Hawaiʻi’s evolving identity. Today, artists working in this tradition continue that responsibility, capturing not just what the islands look like, but what they feel like.
Curtis Wilson Cost is an artist whose work reflects a lifelong commitment to observing Hawaiʻi carefully. This guide explores the defining characteristics of Curtis Wilson Cost’s work.
Who Is Curtis Wilson Cost?
Curtis Wilson Cost is a Maui-based representational landscape painter whose career spans more than five decades. Working primarily in oil, with earlier bodies of work in watercolor and acrylic, Cost has created an extensive visual record of Hawaiʻi’s land and rural life. His paintings depict quiet roads, plantation-era buildings, taro fields, and moments of fleeting light that exist for only minutes each day.
More than 150 of his paintings are permanently installed in the Kahului, Hilo and Kona airports. These public installations welcome travelers with visual introductions to the scenery of the islands.
His paintings celebrate real locations throughout Hawai'i. In many cases, they preserve rural landscapes that no longer exist in the same form today.
Hawaiian Landscape Art as a Record of a Simpler Time
Hanamu Dusk (2004)
A recurring theme in Curtis Wilson Cost’s work is a quiet reverence for Hawaiʻi’s agrarian and plantation-era past.
Cost’s paintings preserve scenes that were once more common across Maui and other islands: plantation style buildings and unpaved roads winding through pastureland.
Paintings like Heart’s Desire (2006) and Hanamu Dusk (2004) capture these subjects. The buildings themselves are often secondary to the surrounding environment, reinforcing the idea that Hawaiʻi’s identity is rooted in its landscapes.
This commitment to documenting everyday rural Hawaiʻi is one reason Cost’s work has been recognized as historically important. His paintings serve as visual touchstones for a way of life that, in many areas, has already faded.
Culturally Significant Places and Plants in Hawaiian Landscape Art
Kahawai O' Oheo (1993)
Another defining feature of Curtis Wilson Cost’s work is his attention to significant locations and important plants.
Paintings such as Kahawai O' Oheo (1993) and ʻĪao Valley (1995) depict places tied to important Hawaiian history, spirituality, and communal memory.
Plant life also plays a central role in Cost’s paintings. Taro (or kalo) is one of the crops that early Polynesians originally brought to Hawai'i on their canoes. Kanoa’s Taro (1995), Poi for Julia (1987), and Kepler’s Taro (1998) all feature ponds of kalo, filled by the Hawaiian irrigation system of rivers diverted to flow through the crop fields.
Light as Storytelling
Midnight Snack (1984)
Light is one of the most powerful narrative tools in Curtis Wilson Cost’s work. Cost is drawn to painting on transitional moments when the light reveals different emotional qualities.
This approach is especially evident in his night scenes, which challenge the assumption that darkness removes color. Paintings like Night Palm (1987), Midnight Snack (1984), and After Hours (2005) demonstrate that nighttime is rich with color, reflection, and atmosphere.
Light Rays Across the Landscape
A Quiet Moment (2002)
Another hallmark of Curtis Wilson Cost’s paintings is his use of light. When one looks at the West Maui Mountains from the slopes of Haleakalā, it is common to witness dramatic beams of light across the ocean, valley, and distant mountain peaks. Many people have noted that Cost's paintings vividly capture the specific way that light in Hawai'i pours across the landscapes.
Paintings like Polipoli Gold (2015) feature soft, atmospheric rays that gently illuminate the pastureland at sunset.
The Power of Details
Return to Makena Molokini (2010)
Curtis Wilson Cost’s paintings reward close viewing. Sustained attention reveals the extraordinary detail of his brushstrokes.
Look closely and you’ll find:
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Individual palm fronds in Return to Makena Molokini (2010)
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Veins in each taro leaf in Poi and Bananas (2007)
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Feathers meticulously rendered on the pheasant and pueo in Phred and Phriend (2010)
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Distinct trees layered into the background of Hanamu Dusk (2004)
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Weathered wood grain and rusted corrugated metal in Lavender Rain in Full Bloom (2014)
This level of detail is a defining feature of Cost’s contribution to Hawaiian landscape art. It reflects patience, respect, and a belief that even the smallest elements matter.
Hidden Messages
Gathering Gold (2002)
Some of Curtis Wilson Cost’s paintings even contain hidden messages. In Gathering Gold (2002), the title of the painting is hidden within the blades of grass. In A Quiet Moment (2002), the Hawaiian translation of the title is concealed amongst the brushstrokes.
These details are intentionally camouflaged and cannot be seen in digital reproductions. They require viewing the original paintings in person, reinforcing the value of physical engagement with art.
This practice adds an intimate layer to Cost’s work, inviting viewers into a more personal conversation with the painting.
Why Seeing Art in Person Matters
While digital images offer access, Hawaiian landscape art — particularly work as detailed as Curtis Wilson Cost’s — is best experienced in person. Scale, texture, and subtle color shifts are difficult to fully appreciate on a screen.
And to enhance your experience by visiting the Curtis Wilson Cost Gallery on the slopes of Haleakalā to immerse yourself in the stunning pastoral scenery that inspired Cost's career.