The West Hawaii Plein Air Painters recently gathered at the Keauhou Store to create individual impressions of the 96-year-old Kona landmark. The completed works were donated to the store’s fund to recreate and raise an 18-foot flagpole that once topped the two-story building.
Using oils, pastels, gauche and colored pencils, a dozen artists sat across from the old general store and captured their visions during a day-long “open air” painting experience. Eight of the finished works are on display in the front window of the Keauhou Store and are priced from $145 to $450. The proceeds, along with donations from the “Raise-the-Flagpole” donation jar inside the store, will pay for refurbishing and installing the iconic pole that once graced the building.