It all started…

While attending BYU-Hawai’i on the far North Shore of Oahu, my fellow art majors and I would venture on the bus into Honolulu. We would always walk through the Center Art Gallery and look at the paintings and sculptures. This is where I discovered the work of entertainer Red Skelton. Red was an iconic figure in both television and cinema. He painted clowns in oil on canvas and was a featured artist at the gallery.

 We met on his birthday when the Center Art Gallery was hosting an exhibit of his work. I decided that if Red returned the following year I would present him with one of my clown paintings for his birthday. The following year he did return to Honolulu for another exhibit and the curator allowed my friends and I to walk past hundreds of Red’s admirers and presented him with “Old Pops, The Theatre Clown.” I framed the painting in Hawaiian Koa, which was a big deal since I was a starving art student. He loved the gift and I also presented him with a copy of the album I had just completed recording titled “Gary Leveque/Ballads.” It was a magical night, and I will cherish the memory of Red Skelton.

Floral garden

When starting this new series, I was inspired to paint the beauty that was growing all around me in Hawai’i.