Ka‘ū octogenarian artist Ed Kayton says he will keep creating until he kicks the bucket

Just before dawn most mornings, Ed Kayton is already in his art studio, paint brush in hand. From a skylight facing east, the sun rising over Mauna Loa glows on his canvas.

“I really prefer to work in a natural light,” said Kayton, whose studio is upstairs in the Ocean View home he designed and built 40 years ago.

For more than four decades, Kayton has captured people, landscapes and still life in his art — with mediums that include oil painting, woodworking and marble sculpting. But even at 81 years old, Kayton continues to be a student, learning a new painting style he will showcase this weekend in an exhibit called “Nostalgia.”

Kayton will display 48 new paintings and counting on Jan. 24 and 25 at Big Island Living, a teak, hardwood furniture and art gallery at 73-5613 Olowalu St. in Kona.

These paintings bring to life many facets of the Big Island: cattle drives, iconic structures, landscapes, cultural figures and paniolo (Hawaiian cowboys). The exhibit also will feature a selection of Kayton’s European paintings, detailing his annual trips to Italy, France and Spain.

Verna Keoho, Kayton’s sister and agent, said it’s been 25 years since her brother has done a solo show of his art.

It may also be his last exhibit. Kayton was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2015, and after two surgeries had been in remission. But the cancer came back and six months ago he was given 12 to 24 months to live. He recently completed radiation therapy.

“How long I have to live? I have no idea,” Kayton said.

But he’s strong enough physically to continue to paint and immerse himself in mediums, always improving his craft.

“I don’t care how long I live; I’m just going to keep working till I kick the bucket,” Kayton said.

He has built his career on works painted in the “indirect approach,” meaning painting a layer, letting it dry and repeating. He’s switching things up and is learning the “direct approach,” meaning painting on wet layers.

The siblings flew to Oregon a few months ago to take a class from Jacqueline Kamin, a student of renowned artist David Leffel to learn the style.

Kayton said the “direct approach” creates more intense colors and a richer painting surface. He’s done about 25 paintings to learn and perfect the technique.

While his exhibit will showcase many of his new works, it also is an opportunity to celebrate the friendships formed throughout the years through his art, particularly with Halau Kealaonamaupua.

Members of the hula school used to perform at his art shows where he featured paintings of the dancers. In 1996, a group of them traveled with Kayton and Keoho to art shows on the mainland and in Europe.

Tootsie Weller, a dancer for the halau, said Kayton wanted to paint the dancers in their traditional hula outfits. Starting with photoshoots, it ultimately progressed to Kayton painting the dancers as well as them performing at exhibits where he sold his paintings.

Weller said the performances at the art shows gave people a realistic connection with Kaytonʻs art that she described as lifelike.

“He sees beyond what’s there,” she said.

Weller’s granddaughter will perform hula at this weekend’s event.

Pua Case, kumu hula (teacher) for Halau Kealaonamaupua, first met Kayton and Keoho in 1979 through her kumu hula. She said Kayton was interested in painting Hawaiian subjects and wanted advice.

Case said the brother-sister duo had a desire to learn as much as they could about hula and to be respectful always of what they wanted to showcase in the artwork.

“There was a level of protocol with them where they just knew what the right thing was to do,” Case said.

Case loves Kayton and Keoho for their humility, graciousness, generosity and the way they take care of the relationships they make.

“They are about taking care of the people they love through their art,” she said. “When they paint you, all of those values are evident in the art.”

Over the years, Keoho has set up shows and exhibits and tried to protect Kayton from being distracted by the business end of art “because he has better things to do.”

“He’s so shy,” she said. “I’m not shy at all.”

Kayton, who is also a woodworker, used to make koa frames for his pieces. Ultimately, Keoho said her brother taught her how to make the frames, allowing him more time to create.

It’s morphed into a hobby for Keoho, who not only builds frames but also constructs anything from koa wine holders to a vase stand holder out of their woodshop on their property in Ocean View.

“People always assume we’re married,” Keoho said with a laugh. “People love the fact that we work together.”

The brother and sister never have arguments. Keoho is Kayton’s biggest supporter and cheerleader.

“He can do anything he sets his mind to,” she said.

In the early years of his career, Keoho said they would set up an art exhibit in lobbies of hotels. Their favorite was King Kamehameha Beach Hotel where they became friends with the staff. Nowadays, Kayton sells his art directly to people who contact him.

In 1994, Keoho and Kayton journeyed to Italy, where he attended marble sculpting school. It wasn’t long after that he stopped doing solo shows and put his work in galleries around Hawai‘i Island.

“I like doing all of it, but my favorite is painting people,” Kayton said.

Kayton tries to capture the humanity of the person in front of him, saying: “You really get a feeling of the person and their spirit.”

More than anything else, Weller said that Kayton and Keoho have a desire to help people and share their gifts.

“They have such creative minds,” Weller said. “All I have to do is mention something, and they already have the vision of how this could be brought to life.”

The art show will be open during operating hours for Big Island Living, from 10:30 a.m. till 5 p.m. Kayton will be onsite painting both days of the exhibition.