Nowell puts whimsical works on display | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

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COURTESY ESTHER NOWELL

Former Honolulu Star-Bulletin artist Esther Nowell turned 97 in May. Now she’s offering a retrospective of her decades-long art career, which included designing ads for Foodland in the 1960s.

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PHOTOS COURTESY OF ESTHER NOWELL

Among the hundreds of items on display are sketches from her world travels, ceramic sculptures, and whimsical watercolors, like her “Cat on a Stroll,” at left.

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For lifetime artist Esther Nowell, there is no slowing down.

The former Honolulu Star-Bulletin artist, who turned 97 in May, is offering a retrospective of her decades-long art career, which included designing ads for Foodland in the 1960s. Among the hundreds of items on display are sketches from her world travels, whimsical watercolors, ceramics and more in “Seriously Frivolous,” on view starting Tuesday through July 30 at Louis Pohl Gallery.

“My work doesn’t deal with the problems of the world,” she said. “I’ll leave that to others. I like animals, faces, plants, patterns, texture and color, especially blue and white. I love to draw and to decorate my pieces with carvings, stamping and under-glazes. Clay is wonderful! I’ve been working with it for over 80 years, and there’s always more to learn.”

Nowell continues to teach art classes at the Hawaii Potters Guild and Ala Wai Community Park. She plans to keep on creating because, as she put it, “That’s what makes life interesting.”

Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday to Friday and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, or by appointment. Louis Pohl Gallery is at 1142 Bethel St. A reception is scheduled for 6 to 9 p.m. Friday during First Friday events in Chinatown. Visit esthernowell.wordpress.com.