by Tannya Joaquin,

Morning News anchor

        A local artist is using his paintbrush to raise money and hope for the Gulf Coast.

        Most Hawaii homes probably have an Alex Steelsmith original. He’s the artist commissioned to do the cover artwork for the Paradise Pages. Now he hopes to raise money from sales of other prints to go to victims of Hurricane Katrina.

        “I’ve seen the images we’ve all been seeing the past several days, and it moved me,” says Steelsmith. “I’ve been really disturbed by what’s going on there and I thought this was a good way to make a difference.”

        This month,* Steelsmith is offering free artist’s proofs to anyone who sends him a minimum donation of $75. The checks should be made payable to the American Red Cross. “I wanted it to be obvious that 100 percent of what you donate is going to the Red Cross. There’s no possibility of anything else happening with the money,” says Steelsmith. For $150, you’ll receive two prints.

        Last time Steelsmith raised money by selling his artworks for charity, he pulled in $10,000. He’s optimistic that Hawaii will come together once again to share aloha with residents on the Gulf Coast who’ve been through so much the past two weeks.

        Make your donation for the artwork in the form of a check payable to the American Red Cross. Please write “Hurricane 2005 Relief” on the check’s memo line, and mail your check to: Attn: Katrina Relief Fund, Steelsmith Publishing, 150 Hamakua Drive #800, Kailua, HI 96734.

        *Please note: Steelsmith’s fundraiser has been extended, so you can now obtain the free artist’s proofs through the month of October.

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