Who Is Curtis Wilson Cost?

Curtis Wilson Cost is a defining artist in Hawai‘i’s landscape art, known for his detailed and heartfelt paintings that preserve the rural Maui he has called home for over five decades.

Curtis works to preserve Hawai‘i’s natural beauty through Hawaiiana artwork and is one of Hawai‘i’s most accomplished representational landscape painters.

“I paint Hawaiiana, which is the Hawaiian version of Americana. I think people who resonate with Americana have an appreciation for the inherited. I was tutored by my dad, so the tradition of the inherited is ingrained in my art.” - Curtis Wilson Cost

- Curtis Wilson Cost

Artistic Style

Over the years, Curtis Wilson Cost's style has continually evolved. Known for his realistic and detailed depictions of the Hawaiian landscape, his work serves as both art and a historical record of Hawaii's ever-changing environment. Curtis Wilson Cost honors a rural Hawai‘i that is slowly disappearing. 

His meticulous brushwork and emotional realism quickly earned him recognition as one of the islands’ most promising Hawai‘i-based painters. His art captures Hawai‘i’s simple beauty, winding plantation roads, weathered churches, and lush hillsides bathed in late-afternoon light.

He initially worked in transparent watercolor and gouache, later experimenting with acrylics before settling into oil painting, his chosen medium for the past two decades. This transition allowed him to achieve the soft gradations of light and atmosphere that now define his mature work.

Artistic Roots

Born in 1953 in Palos Verdes, California, Curtis was encouraged in art by his mother, Harriet. During summers in Carmel-by-the-Sea, he studied painting under his father, James Peter Cost, a prolific landscape artist and gallery owner.

In 1968, he moved to Hawai‘i. Inspired by Howard Hitchcock and Lloyd Sexton's early works, Curtis discovered his artistic identity and dedicate his life to painting the islands.

Legacy & Recognition

Across more than five decades, Curtis Wilson Cost has painted hundreds of scenes of Hawai‘i. His work has been collected across the islands and around the world.

The Hawai‘i Department of Transportation has recognized Curtis as a classic Hawaiiana artist, installing over 150 of his paintings prominently in Kahului, Hilo, and Kona airports. His art welcomes travelers and locals alike, offering a moment of peace and connection with the islands.

Today, Curtis’s gallery space in Kula, Maui holds the distinction of being the longest-running one-man gallery in the state of Hawai‘i.

Visit the Gallery

Nestled on the slopes of Haleakalā in Kula, Maui, the Curtis Wilson Cost Gallery continues to celebrate Curtis’s life’s work. Visitors can explore original paintings, giclĂ©e reproductions, and limited-edition prints that span his decades-long career.

Appointments can be arranged to experience the gallery and its scenic surroundings in person, or you can explore available works and collections online.

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