PO‘IPU — For Steven Valiere, water isn’t just the subject of his paintings that hang in galleries and have been exhibited around the world — he also lives in it. The 60-year-old surfer has called Kaua‘i his home for most of
PO‘IPU — For Steven Valiere, water isn’t just the subject of his paintings that hang in galleries and have been exhibited around the world — he also lives in it.
The 60-year-old surfer has called Kaua‘i his home for most of his life, and when he isn’t painting at his North Shore home, he’s traveling the island (and world) in search of the perfect wave.
His paintings depict familiar scenes: a surfer, crouched down, riding the barrel of a wave as color ocean spray whips around him.
Others show lush Na Pali-like cliffs, tropical sunsets and eye-popping beaches.
His paintings are snapshots — like little autobiographies — of Valerie’s life.
“I’ve been surfing for 50 years, and I traveled all over the world. That’s what my art is about — boat trips, the perfect wave, big waves, barrel waves — it’s inspiration from my life,” Valiere said. “When you are such a hard-core surfer, you got to surf and you have to make a living where you can drop everything at the drop of a hat. It’s sort of a drawback because you can’t go anywhere inland in case you miss a swell.”
A collection of a dozen paintings are showcased at Josselin’s Tapas Bar & Grill in Po‘ipu. The paintings were taken straight from the walls of Valiere’s North Shore home, and many of them have never been displayed before.
Valiere uses globs of acrylic paints to create texture within each painting. He’s careful not to mix the paints, because the result would be “too muddy.”
That means he’s deliberate as he makes sweeping strokes with his brush. Drips of water give his canvases an iridescent look.
After he completes each painting, he varnishes them to give them a glossy, oil painting-like effect.
“The things that inspire me to grab a new canvas is that it makes people happy,” Valiere said. “I get postcards or emails from people in Japan or Wisconsin that say that it’s 20 degrees outside and there’s snow everywhere, and I was drinking my coffee looking at your painting and it made me feel good.”
Valerie was born in North Dakota, where the only waves he saw were in the grain fields.
“I took art classes in high school so I could keep my grade-point average up,” Valiere said.
After high school, he moved to Hawai‘i for a winter, and then traveled the world for six years. Afterwards, he moved to Kaua‘i.
The North Shore artist started painting after Hurricane ‘Iniki.
“When the hurricane hit … I did a drawing of the hurricane around the island of Kaua‘i. I did it in all black and white and had it transferred onto T-shirts, then I hand-painted the T-shirts,” Valerie said. “That was kind of the start of it, really.”
Valiere soon started painting on canvas.
“I sold one, and that freaked me out,” Valerie said with a laugh. “Then I sold another one.”
Valerie’s art currently hang in galleries and homes around the globe. He’s had shows as far away as France and Australia, and recently wrapped up a tour of California.
But Kaua‘i will always remain home for him and his family. While his paintings capture ideal beach days, he knows his paintings will represent a time on Kaua‘i that may be gone in the future.
“There’s a lot of stuff going on Kaua‘i that’s going to change everything forever, and it will never be gotten back,” he said. “Once it’s gone it’s gone. I want people to stand up a little bit more, be a little more vigilant, hold on to things that are truly dear. You can’t let it go.”
Valiere will be painting during Kaua‘i Lifeguard Association’s Second Wave Fundraiser Oct. 7 at the Kilohana Lu‘au Pavilion. His painting will be auctioned during the event, and the proceeds will be donated to KLA.
