About the Artist

Steven Kean

Contemporary Printmaker / Surf Artist | North Shore of Oahu, HI 

A Pennsylvania native residing on the North Shore of Oahu since 2008, Steven Kean is an artist working primarily in the woodcut method of relief printmaking. His work is driven by a passion for the process and a love of the ocean.

Kean's work has been showcased internationally, here in the islands and throughout the continental United States. In July of 2026, Kean traveled with a group of Hawaii-based artists from Waveline Collective to exhibit work in Chiba and Kamakura, Japan.  Earlier in the year (Feb '26), Kean's artwork was invited to the 2026 Punahaou Art Gallery Exhibition, the largest indoor group show in the Hawaiian Islands. He has been a participant in the Haleiwa Arts Festival for the past 9 years. In January of 2024, he had his 6th solo exhibition ('Playing with Sand') showcasing his newest collection of woodcut prints.  Later that year, he was invited into a group show celebrating today's surf culture, 'The Swell is Coming' at Ho'ikeakea Gallery.

Kean has been involved in several notable commissioned projects over the years.  Most recently, with Olukai's Hawaii Artists Series, where his work was implemented in the design elements of premium leather sandals.  Steven has also worked on various projects with companies such as Kahala Aloha Shirts, Google, Starbucks, Foodland Hawaii, Vans, and Hawaii Tourism Japan.  His work is on permanent display in various locations around the Hawaiian Islands, including  Four Seasons Resort Ko Olina, Number 7 Sushi and Maya's Tapas and Wine.  Kean was honored to be the featured artist of the 2016 and 2023 Haleiwa Arts Festival. In 2024, he had two works accepted into the 96th Annual Honolulu Printmakers Exhibition, a curated exhibition of printmakers working in the Hawaiian Islands.  His work is installed in several hotels and resorts throughout Hawaii and, in addition, Nassau, Bahamas. In 2022, Kean was thrilled to be featured in the ‘Native Intelligence’ Hana Hou! in-flight magazine by Hawaiian Airlines.

When not surfing or carving, Steven teaches art to youth across Hawai‘i, sharing his passion
for creativity with the next generation.  He has been on the Teaching Artist Roster with the Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts since 2018. Before that, he taught art at several elementary schools and the Honolulu Museum of Art's Outreach Program.’

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