Charles W. Watson Explained
Charles Wyndham Watson (August 30, 1915 in Guelph, Ontario, Canada - April 20, 2002 in Kaneohe, Hawaii),[1] was an American sculptor. After working as an apprentice carpenter during the Great Depression, Watson studied engineering briefly at Santa Monica College.[2] He came to Hawaii after World War II as a manager for McNeil Construction. In 1950, he moved to Hawaiian Dredging Construction Company as a general superintendent and worked his way up to become president.[3] His son Mark Watson is also a Hawaii-based sculptor.[4]
His body of work included both figurative subjects and large abstract works, such as Tree in Foster Botanical Garden. His sculptures in public places include:[5]
- To the Nth Power, 1971, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii
- Pueo, 1980, Kaimuki High School, Honolulu, Hawaii
- Ka Mea Kuʻi ʻUpena, 1989, intersection of South King Street & Kapiolani Boulevard, Honolulu, Hawaii
- Giraffe (1959) and Ostrich (1960), Honolulu Zoo, Honolulu, Hawaii
- Hawaiian with ʻO ʻO, 1978, Hawaiian Dredging & Construction Company, 614 Kapahulu Avenue, Honolulu, Hawaii
- Mahiole (Feathered helmet), 1983, pair of stone sculptures, The Halekulani Hotel, Honolulu, Hawaii
- Tree, 1974, Foster Botanical Garden, Honolulu, Hawaii
References
- Charles W. Watson in the Art Inventories Catalog of the Smithsonian American Art Museum
- Hawaii Artreach, “Art in Public Places”, Vol. 15, Nos. 3 & 4, Winter 2001, p. 13.
- Radford, Georgia & Warren Radford, Sculpture in the Sun: Hawaii's Art for Open Spaces, Honolulu, University Press of Hawaii, 1978, pp. 58, 97.
Notes and References
- News: Wright. Walter. Charles Watson, sculptor and construction executive, dead at 86. 17 October 2013. Honolulu Advertiser. 22 April 2002.
- Radford, Georgia & Warren Radford, Sculpture in the Sun: Hawaii's Art for Open Spaces, Honolulu, University Press of Hawaii, 1978, p. 97.
- Wright, Walter(22 April 2002). "Charles Watson, sculptor and construction executive, dead at 86". Honolulu Advertiser, 22 April 2002. Retrieved 7 July 2017
- Hawaii Artreach, 2001, p. 13
- http://siris-artinventories.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1221H61Q15L09.32459&profile=ariall&uri=link=3100006~!203754~!3100001~!3100002&aspect=Browse&menu=search&ri=1&source=~!siartinventories&term=Watson%2C+Charles%2C+1915-+%2C+sculptor.&index=AUTHOR#focus Art Inventories Catalog of the Smithsonian American Art Museum
