Exhibition duration: June 3 – September 6, 2013
Exhibition opening: June 20th @ 6 – 8 pm
Jazz: Saxophonist James Ohn
The Alfa Art Gallery is proud to present “Colorful Expressions,” artist John Hawaka’s solo exhibition at The Heldrich Hotel in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Hawaka is a supremely accomplished artist, possessing a number of awards for group and one-man juried shows throughout New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. Among his one-man shows, four of them have been held in New Jersey, and his “Nature in Abstraction” show received the highest award from the Black Diamond Arts Council in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania.
We at the Alfa Art Gallery are proud to announce that Alfa is the exclusive representative of Hawaka and his art. Hawaka has been exhibited at Alfa multiple times in the past, with exhibitions stemming as far back as April 2008. Hawaka’s work has most recently been featured at Alfa in the September 2011 exhibition called “Spirit of Nature,” which was a solo exhibition and catalog release. Needless to say, we at Alfa are immeasurably proud of Hawaka’s success, and we are pleased to present his “Colorful Expressions” exhibition at The Heldrich Hotel.
Regarding his art, Hawaka is “happy when it agrees” with him, noting the spontaneity of the lacquer medium, a medium that is employed by few artists in North America. Hawaka’s abstractions and expressions allow the viewer to explore a subjective realm of intimacy and innovation created through an amalgam of energetic forms and colors, forms and colors that are “alive” with movement and with feeling.
The abstraction in Hawaka’s art effectively carries him to the forefront of modern art. His ability to seemingly isolate a split second of movement through highlighting form and color creates an explosion of striking expression on the canvas, which translates to an explosion of emotion in the viewer. The subjective emotion in the work triggers a subjective emotion in the viewer, and this juxtaposition creates an interesting and moving resonance; the art echoes, and a split second of movement on the canvas is frozen – freeze-framed and still, which directly contrasts what is happening with the viewer’s emotionality. When considering Hawaka’s method of applying a color and simply going from there, it’s incredible to realize that he has no blueprint – he only has a gut feeling. And it’s even more incredible to realize how his singular gut feeling leads to the production of a work of art that inspires the viewers’ feelings. Hawaka has said, “Authors who stare at a blank sheet of paper for hours or even days are said to have writer’s block. I’ve never had ‘painter’s block’ standing before a blank canvas. Once I apply that first stroke of color, I’m ready to go.”
The New Brunswick Jazz Project, ardent supporters of Hawaka’s art, will be sponsoring a jazz performance to accompany the exhibition. The New Brunswick Jazz Project has employed one of Hawaka’s paintings as their logo, exemplifying the seamless connection between music – jazz music – and Hawaka’s art. Michael Tublin, one of the New Brunswick Jazz Project’s founders, is one of the biggest collectors of Hawaka’s artwork. Regarding music, Hawaka has said, “Music is important when I paint. I like jazz, but I mostly listen to classical. My favorite composers are Beethoven, Sibelius, and Shostakovich.” Hawaka’s “Colorful Expressions” exhibition will be showing at The Heldrich Hotel in New Brunswick, New Jersey, from June 2nd to September 6th.
This program is sponsored in part by: 
