[Review] Edithe Beutler: Beautifying Hawaii with Color by CJ Cook and Robert K. Harned

By Maria Duarte  

Edithe Beutler: Beautifying Hawaii with Color is a biography that offers the reader an in-depth look at Edithe Beutler’s life. A commercial artist by trade, Edithe Beutler has been recognized as one of the foremost American colorists of the twentieth century. This book touches not only on who Edithe Beutler was a person, but it also highlights the process she used to beatify photographs which were not available in color before Kodak released their first color film in 1942. 

The reader is presented with not only her accomplishments as a brilliant woman, but we are also shown the beauty of Hawaii with vibrant colors and scenes of everyday life making this book more than a biography but a book of art. This is the perfect combination where learning and admiration can be found in the same page. 

What made Edithe Beutler different was her process. One fine example is Frank Warren’s black-and-white hibiscus photo. After enlarging the print to at least 8” x 10” or sometimes 11” x 14” she would color from the center out with her diluted oils. Edithe Beutler’s life and art highlighted how women can cross boundaries and contribute to the world of art with perseverance and resilience. 

Maria Duarte received her MFA in Creative Writing from the University of California, Riverside – Palm Desert. She has published poems in Verdad Magazine and The Good Grief Journal: A Journey Toward Healing. She is poetry editor for Kelp Journal.