Nāwahī was believed to be a self-taught artist with details surrounding his early training in the arts relatively unknown.

His attendance at Lahainaluna may have influenced his early interest in art.
Lorrin Andrews, the first principal of Lahainaluna, had taught many of his Hawaiian students in the arts.
He was also part of the late 19th-century Volcano School style of artists.
Art historian David Forbes noted that Nāwahī may have been taught or influenced by the French artist Jules Tavernier, a strong proponent of the Volcano School movement in Hawaii.
Nāwahī is considered to have been one of the first Native Hawaiians to paint in the Western style.

Only five or six of his paintings are known to exist along with two pen and ink sketches he left on the Volcano House guest registry book.
Nāwahī's surviving works consisted of views of his native Hilo including Hilo Bay, Rainbow (Waiānuenue) Falls and the surrounding volcanoes of Mauna Loa, Mauna Kea and Kilauea.
One of his paintings of the fiery caldera of Kīlauea was recognized by the Hawaiian government and sent to the Paris Universal Exposition in 1889.

His painting of Hilo Bay was discovered in 1984.
It was informally valued at $100,000 to $150,000 in 2006 on the TV program Antiques Roadshow and was later professionally appraised at more than $450,000; the owner donated it to Kamehameha Schools in 2007.
Nāwahī was believed to be a self-taught artist with details surrounding his early training in the arts relatively unknown.
His attendance at Lahainaluna may have influenced his early interest in art. Lorrin Andrews, the first principal of Lahainaluna, had taught many of his Hawaiian students in the arts. He was also part of the late 19th-century Volcano School style of artists. Art historian David Forbes noted that Nāwahī may have been taught or influenced by the French artist Jules Tavernier, a strong proponent of the Volcano School movement in Hawaii. Nāwahī is considered to have been one of the first Native Hawaiians to paint in the Western style.
Only five or six of his paintings are known to exist along with two pen and ink sketches he left on the Volcano House guest registry book. Nāwahī's surviving works consisted of views of his native Hilo including Hilo Bay, Rainbow (Waiānuenue) Falls and the surrounding volcanoes of Mauna Loa, Mauna Kea and Kilauea. One of his paintings of the fiery caldera of Kīlauea was recognized by the Hawaiian government and sent to the Paris Universal Exposition in 1889.
His painting of Hilo Bay was discovered in 1984. It was informally valued at $100,000 to $150,000 in 2006 on the TV program Antiques Roadshow and was later professionally appraised at more than $450,000; the owner donated it to Kamehameha Schools in 2007.
Joseph Nāwahī