First came the taco trucks, then the malasada trucks and then the Jamaican Chicken trucks. The food truck phenomenon started taking off around the country about the same time the economy started to decline, as a way to provide delicious meals without the typical costly investment. The Kona artist, simply known as Jameson, is taking this idea of a mobile business to a whole new level with his new venture, The Aloha Art Truck.
An artist at a young age, Jameson travels the country painting murals and is excited about his new innovative avenue for sharing his love and appreciation for creating beautiful art work.
“I’ve had a passion for art since childhood,” said Jameson. “My first inspirations were from Disney movies and from there, it grew into something much greater. I was raised on the coast of Oregon, so the beach has been one of my biggest inspirations for most of my life.”
For the past 15 years, Jameson has painted murals for children’s hospitals, amusement parks, hotels and restaurants, just to name a few. Finding his inspiration from the land and sea, his new endeavor with The Aloha Art Truck incorporates his love of everything ocean and his desire to create and inspire.
“I find my inspiration from my love for the aina and the ocean,” said Jameson. “I created the Aloha Art Truck so I could have the beauty of this island as my backdrop while I’m creating, and to be able to spread the joy of art and living in a positive way all over the islands. My goal with the Aloha Art Truck is to travel to our neighbor islands and create and bring art to everyone.”
Jameson’s studio, art gallery and classroom are now anywhere he chooses to park his truck. With all his traveling, he decided he wanted to work more on the Big Island, so he came up with the idea to build a mobile studio so he could paint and create with the beach as his backdrop.
“I like to paint a lot of seascape and surf art,” he said. “So I bought this old food truck, gutted it out, and started putting in some wood floors down and walls. As I was building it, I realized I could also make it a mobile art gallery so I could display my art. With The Aloha Art Truck I can now go to the beaches to paint and use the beach for inspiration. I can also take the truck to markets and festivals and sell my art.”
A self-taught artist, Jameson recognizes the importance of exposing children to artistic opportunities at a young age and is subsequently creating a school program for keiki where he will donate murals and involve the students by teaching them how to paint.
“I had several amazing individuals early on in my life that helped me find my path through art,” he said. “My high school art teacher was just incredible and is the reason why I feel it is so important to help teach the keiki about art and following your dreams while living a life of gratitude.”
Jameson will announce his grand opening sometime this month where he will display The Aloha Art Truck to the community. For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/alohaarttruck/. ■
