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 example of an artist whose work reflects a lifelong commitment to observing Hawaiʻi carefully. His paintings offer a compelling lens through which to understand Hawaiian landscapes. For collectors, travelers, or anyone curious about Hawaiian landscape art, learning how to read Cost’s paintings reveals a deeper story about Hawaiʻi itself.
This guide explores the defining characteristics of Curtis Wilson Cost’s work and highlights what to look for when interpreting Hawaiian landscape art through his paintings.
Who Is Curtis Wilson Cost and Why Does His Work Represent Hawaiian Landscape Art So Well?
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 places that are often overlooked: quiet roads, plantation-era buildings, taro fields, and moments of fleeting light that exist for only minutes each day.
Cost’s work has been formally recognized by the Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation as culturally significant Hawaiiana. More than 150 of his paintings are permanently installed in airports throughout the state, including Kahului, Hilo, and Kona. These public installations serve as visual introductions to Hawaiʻi, welcoming travelers with scenes that feel lived-in rather than staged.
His paintings are not imagined scenes; they are grounded in real locations, painted from experience, memory, and careful study. In many cases, they preserve 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. Rather than romanticizing history, his paintings document it honestly, acknowledging the role of agriculture, labor, and rural life in shaping the islands.
This aspect of his work aligns closely with the broader tradition of Hawaiian landscape art, which has long served as a form of visual documentation. Cost’s paintings preserve scenes that were once common across Maui and other islands: modest homes, working fields, aging barns, and dirt roads winding through pastureland.
Paintings like Heart’s Desire (2006) and Hanamu Dusk (2004) reflect this sensibility. 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 culturally significant locations and native or historically important plants. Hawaiian landscape art has long served as a way to honor places with deep cultural meaning, and Cost continues this tradition with care and respect.
Paintings such as Kahawai O' Oheo (1993) and ʻĪao Valley (1995) depict locations that hold profound importance within Hawaiian culture. These are not merely scenic destinations; they are places tied to history, spirituality, and communal memory.
Plant life also plays a central role in Cost’s paintings. Taro, or kalo, appears frequently — most notably in works like Kanoa’s Taro (1995) and Kepler’s Taro. In Hawaiian culture, taro is more than an agricultural crop; it is a powerful symbol of life, ancestry, and sustenance.
By incorporating these elements thoughtfully, Cost’s paintings operate on multiple levels: as landscapes, as cultural references, and as quiet acts of preservation.
Light as Storytelling: Morning, Dusk, and Night Scenes
Midnight Snack (1984)
Light is one of the most powerful narrative tools in Curtis Wilson Cost’s work. Rather than painting generic daylight scenes, he focuses on transitional moments when the land 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 in Hawaiʻi is rich with color, reflection, and atmosphere.
Cost’s mastery of low light is not about drama for its own sake. Instead, it reinforces the emotional tone of the place.
Light Rays and Streaks Across the Land
A Quiet Moment (2002)
Another hallmark of Curtis Wilson Cost’s paintings is his use of diagonal light rays. These streaks of light often cut across the landscape, guiding the viewer’s eye and creating a sense of movement within otherwise still scenes.
Paintings like Polipoli Gold (2015) feature soft, atmospheric rays that gently illuminate pastureland. In contrast, works such as Petaluma (2000) and A Quiet Moment (2002) use sharper contrasts between light and shadow to heighten visual tension.
In Hawaiian landscape art, light rays often symbolize transition between weather patterns, times of day, or emotional states.
The Power of Tiny Details
Return to Makena Molokini (2010)
Curtis Wilson Cost’s paintings reward close viewing. At first glance, a scene may feel calm and expansive, but sustained attention reveals extraordinary detail.
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 similarly concealed.
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 Hawaiian Landscape 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.
Visiting the Curtis Wilson Cost Gallery allows viewers to see these paintings within the environment that inspired them. The gallery itself sits within Upcountry Maui, surrounded by the same landscapes that appear on the canvas.
For those unable to visit, virtual experiences and reproductions still provide meaningful connections.But the original works reveal the full depth of Cost’s craft.
Reading Hawaiian Landscape Art Through Curtis Wilson Cost’s Work
Interpreting Hawaiian landscape art requires more than recognizing scenery. It involves understanding history, culture, light, and the relationship between people and land. Curtis Wilson Cost’s paintings embody these principles with clarity and sincerity.
His work invites viewers to slow down, look closely, and consider Hawaiʻi not as a destination, but as a living place shaped by memory, labor, and time. For anyone seeking to understand Hawaiian landscape art more deeply, Curtis Wilson Cost’s paintings offer a thoughtful and enduring point of entry.