Irving Jenkins Obituary

IRVING JENKINS Artist, collector, researcher, historian and author, Irving A. Jenkins passed away October 9, 2025, at home from acute myeloid leukemia. Irving was born in Hilo April 7, 1942, then lived out his youth on Kauai. His mother, Mae, was a nurse and his father, Irving, worked in the pineapple industry. After graduation from Kapaa High School, he went on to UH Manoa and earned a BA in fine arts with a major in painting. Irving was first and foremost an artist. His early work shows a deep understanding of proportion and scale in his charcoal and watercolors. He set up a studio in Kakaako where he produced photographic murals from original lithographs made on the Cook and Vancouver voyages. These were commercially successful but not artistically satisfying. In the late 1960s, Jenkins transitioned into a signature art form that he maintained throughout his 60 years of painting and carving, using Hawaiian cape and ornament shapes to suggest the impact of historical events on Hawaiian culture. His work was intellectually and spiritually evocative, challenging the viewer by rendering paint and wood into metal. A retrospective of his work is anticipated to be held in March, 2026. Irving's first book, Hawaiian Furniture and Hawaiian Cabinetmakers, was released in 1988 by Daughters of Hawaii. It won the Charles R. Montgomery Award, given yearly by the Decorative Arts Society of American Decorative Arts for "the most distinguished contribution to the study of American decorative arts." He was the first author from Hawaii to win this honor, as well as the first time Hawaii's historic art and decoration was acknowledged on a national level. Irving's second book, The Hawaiian Calabash, was published six years later. A thoroughly researched and exquisitely photographed coffee table book showcasing the umeke in all its mysterious and ancient splendor. In Lord of the Haao Rain, published in 2017, Irving shows off his history chops by giving a detailed analysis of an important yet somewhat clouded event in late 18th century Hawaii. The book's basic premise is that the Forbes caves artifacts were those of Keouakuahuula, a premise not accepted by other scholars. (He eschewed the use of diacriticals and macrons, so we will also here.) This was Irving's third and final publication. Irving was predeceased by his wife and partner of 40 years, Pamela Burns, in 2017. His final publication, Pet Walk! The Pam Burns Years, 2023, commemorates Pam's 27 years as president and CEO of the Hawaiian Humane Society. She was the love of his life. Services will be at the Oahu Mortuary Chapel on Saturday, January 17 at 11 AM with light refreshments to follow.