John Collins has painted the underwater landscapes of Hawaii Island for more than 30 years. Three decades of diving experience in Hawaii and other oceans of the world inspired Collins to create his seascapes and underwater depictions, many of which are actual locations on the Big Island.
These days, Collins can be found with his canvas and brush at Huggo’s on the Rocks, painting for locals and visitors every Thursday through Sunday from 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m.
“I was an architect major in college back in the ’60s, but I moved from that right away into just doing art,” said Collins. “I’ve been painting since I was in second grade. That’s how that journey started. I’ve just always been painting, no matter what I did in my life painting was always there.”
When Collins moved to Kona nearly 35 years ago, he befriended the owners of Huggo’s and has been painting there ever since. While painting, he also owned and operated an auto electric business where he displayed and sold his art. Now at the age of 71, Collins enjoys being a full-time artist.
“My other jobs were only for the insurance and that sort of nonsense because I always made enough money painting that I didn’t need to really do anything really else,” he said. “I’ve painted at a few other locations here in Kona and in Waikoloa. Now all I do is paint at Huggo’s On The Rocks, because it’s a great location.
In his home studio, Collins paints with oils, however, at Huggo’s he uses acrylics.
“At Huggo’s I use acrylics, because with acrylics you can finish a painting in an hour and it’s dry and you can take it home,” he said. What I do at Huggo’s is I paint inexpensive original paintings that people can afford. I sell my originals for $50, the same ones that I sell on the internet for $200, the same ones that they sell in the galleries for $300-$400 but I sell them there for $50 because I want people to have my art.”
Because he makes his work affordable for visitors, Collins now has his work all over the world.
“I have my art in China. I have it in Australia. I have it in Korea, Japan — it’s everywhere because of the affordable price and because of Huggo’s. It’s such a cool thing,” said Collins. “I’m not a salesman by any means. I don’t try to sell my art, it just sells itself.”
With beautiful depiction of waves, sunsets and Hawaiian-inspired vistas, Huggo’s diners enjoy watching Collins create his pieces. He encourages others to watch him paint.
“I encourage people to come over and see what I’m doing,” he said. “Come and see what’s going on. Many people stay a bit longer to have a few drinks and watch me finish a painting, which only takes a couple hours. It’s a lot of fun.”