They are like the two sides of a coin. Marcello, the visionary, and Alessio, the technician. The juxtaposition of the classic and the contemporary, the European and the Hawaiian.

Alessio studied art all his life and has been trained in the prestigious Accedemia of Belle Arti in Florence, Italy. Marcello is l’artigiano – the craftsman. He brings to their art his energetic creativity and vision, combined with a training in mathematics and photography, enabling him to find beautiful solutions to the challenge of design and composition.

Alessio and Marcello Bugagiar have forged a new creative concept using oils on native “Koa” to depict traditional images of Hawaiian life in compositions that transcend both past and present. Much like a sculptor discovers the shape hidden inside a block of wood, these artists unveil the forms within the lustrous surfaces as part of a representational painting.

In the folds of a colorful pareau, in the waves of reclining women’s long loose hair, or in the curves of an outrigger canoe hull, they carefully select the exact areas to leave unpainted which allow the ebb and flow of the lustrous Koa grain to shine through. Just as “haute couture” elevates mere clothing to fashion, the artists Bugagiar elevate koa to a pure artform.