Painter, sculptor, muralist, Hawaii-born artist Clark Takashima loves his job. He’s been painting surfing waves for 37 years. His father taught him how to draw at age five when he wanted to portray everything he saw and experienced from air shows to animals at the zoo to deep sea fishing. Once Clark began surfing at age 13, there was one thing running through his brain waves. Waves! So he painted them…constantly. His passion and dedication through the years has been paying off, his works now grace many walls not only within the surfing world but the world at large.
In 2007, while painting over an already varnished piece, Clark accidentally discovered how translucent color over the clear surface captured light and developed his own technique of acrylic paintings which he calls “the layered glaze” technique. Clark explains, “By applying layers of clear glaze between translucent layers of paint, allows light to penetrate the layers below. This allows for color mixing to happen in varying lighting conditions on the canvas itself. Depending on lighting, daylight, afternoon light, or indoor lighting, the look and colors of the paintings morph. I’m now adding iridescent pigments and adding textures which gives the work a new dimension.”
Aside from developing his own techniques, Clark is dedicated to cultivating the relatively new genre of surf art. “I was inspired by meeting Clark Little and Heather Brown in 2006. We were all beginning our public careers and we shared information on how to market our work”. Competition was not a factor. Collaboration, hard work, and aloha were the keys to success.
This inspired Clark to dedicate himself to help other artists to aspire to their potential. Early 2011, Clark and fellow artist Patrick Parker dreamed and joined forces to one day maintain a large working studio to be a creative hotspot for artists. A year later, “The Plant Too Pupukea” was established with the support of 9th Wave Gallery.
“We open our doors to visiting and local professional artists to paint, discuss the importance of sharing information on marketing, painting techniques, and creating the best works possible. We encourage our peers to look deeper into how the Old Masters set up their compositions using information incorporating numbers, geometry, music, and the cosmos. Then, hopefully those visiting will do the same in their communities. The Plant too also, on occasion, welcomes amateur artists to paint and enjoy the creative process. I think it’s essential for artists (or any creative person) to surround themselves in a creative environment. The last two years have been amazing and incredibly inspiring with many notable artists, surfers, clients, and kids experiencing this energetically charged space.”
Clark is asked frequently, “Don’t you ever get board of painting waves?” He replies, “Surfing itself teaches us the same lessons as life does. You have to have humility, discipline, decision making, follow through and respect. The list goes on. Everything comes in waves.”
See more of Clark’s work at his website and Instagram: @sea_t_clarktakashima
