There is a joke at the Honolulu Academy of Arts that the security guards are the most interesting people on staff. And like all jokes, there’s a lot of truth to it. The men and women who make sure the museum’s art and people are safe all have fascinating stories to tell. One of them is Calvin Collins, whose sensual paintings are on view in Nu‘uanu Gallery’s excellent “Encore Excellence” show. Collins, who has worked at the Academy for two years, got his BFA at the San Francisco Art Institute and earned his MFA at the University of Hawai‘i. A relationship brought the Bay Area native to Honolulu, and he finds the experience of living here informs his work. “If I could use pathos and humor in the same sentence, that would apply to the works that are in this show,” says Collins. He paints his figurative images, often of just a part of a face or a body (“I think fragmentation has a lot to do with my work”) on used bed sheets. “Uh, that must symbolize something. But I think it’s probably best to let the viewer come up with whatever they want, for better or worse.” You can draw your own conclusions through March 29.

Honolulu Academy of Arts
900 S Beretania St, Honolulu, HI / (808) 532-8741

—LesaG, 03/26/08