Maui author CJ Cook will sign Edithe Beutler: Beautifying Hawaii with Color, his new book about one of America's foremost colorists of the 20th century, who transformed monochrome photos into Hawaiian masterpieces. CJ will also present some of Edithe Beutler's paintings and discuss her art at the event.

 

Edithe Beutler was one of the foremost American Colorists of the 20th century. Color film for photography was unavailable until 1942 when Kodak first released it to the public. Before then, photographs could only be taken in black and white, and fine artists were hired to colorize them. One of the best was Edithe. In the 1920s, her painting skills were sought after by universities, corporations, and Hollywood. In 1934, her partnership with Eastman Kodak in Hawaii marked a pivotal moment in her career. In Honolulu, she began teaching the public oil painting of black-and-white images of Hawaiian beaches and flowers, selling these colorized photos for Kodak, and painting geographical maps of the South Pacific for the US Government before WWII. Soon after the Dec. 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor, she opened the first of three Color Art Shops. Edithe also worked with Blair's of Waikiki, a prestigious wood carving company. Edithe's daughter, Sally Phipps, brought the family into the international spotlight as a silent film star. Sally's movie images, along with Edithe's colored depictions of Hawaii, exquisitely adorn Edithe Beutler: Beautifying Hawaii in Color. Today, her oil-painted photographs from ninety years ago are highly coveted. Edithe broke the societal norms of her time, excelling as an artist, entrepreneur, and matriarch, earning the affectionate nickname "Lovey" for her grace and care in all aspects of life. Edithe's legacy endures as a role model for women, transcending her era's limitations to leave a lasting impact on art and entrepreneurship.

 

"Before the invention of color photography, Edithe Beutler was among the artists who would painstakingly paint over black-and-white images to give them vibrancy and life. Inspired by this methodical and highly artistic process, the authors trace the life of the colorist responsible for striking images of the South Pacific.” — Kirkus Reviews

 

“Edithe Beutler traces the colorist’s trajectory from California to Hawaii. Her colorized photographs of Hawaii show how her oil paint–based colorization process makes them vibrant and bespoke. Colorized seascapes, flora, and traditional Hawaiian fishing practices are juxtaposed with their black-and-white originals. A biography of an intrepid twentieth-century colorist attests to the artistry of an old technological process while documenting the life of a groundbreaking woman.” — Foreword Reviews

C.J. COOK is an award-winning author and historian specializing in artists of the Pacific, mainly from Hawaii and Tahiti. His literary career began with Tyree: Artist of the South Pacific in 2017, which earned two Gold Awards from the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) in 2018. Cook continued his exploration of Pacific artistry with Leeteg: Babes, Bars, Beaches, and Black Velvet Art, winning a Gold Award for Best Biography from the IBPA in 2022. In 2023, he released Beauty in the Beast: Flora, Fauna, and Endangered Species of Artist Ralph Burke Tyree, expanding on Tyree’s themes and legacy. Beyond writing, Cook is an avid manuscript collector, focusing on South Pacific art. His collection of Edithe Beutler’s oil paintings formed the basis for Edithe Beutler: Beautifying Hawaii in Color, co-authored with Edithe’s grandson, Robert L. Harned, which South Pacific Dreams Publishing published on January 21, 2025.