One Woman’s Tree of Life Bears Beautiful Art: Caren Loebel-Fried Retells the Legends of Hawaii in Block Prints and Books
By Marya Mann, Ph.D. Caren Loebel-Fried is in love with nature, art, mythology, dreams, and the study of cultures that live “at one” with nature. All these loves blend together eloquently in her creations. One of Hawaii’s most beloved myths,…
Storytelling with Color and Canvas: Suzy Papanikolas Makes Hawai‘i’s People Come Alive
By Karen Valentine A painting by Suzy Papanikolas delights the eyes and the imagination. As you walk by it, whether in a gallery or in your own home, it grabs your attention. What is that? It’s not what is in…
New School for Native Hawaiian Fine Arts is Born
By Kauanoe, HOEA Project Director PIKO, a gathering of over 100 indigenous visual artists, held during the summer of 2007 in Waimea and two other Big Island locations, awakened many to the realization that there are too few venues for…
Motifs in Polynesian Design
By Ma‘ata Tukuafu From the earliest European voyagers who traveled the vast Pacific Ocean in the 1500s to the vast numbers of visitors who spend their savings on touring the Pacific islands, the lure of Polynesia has always been present.…
The Galactic Interpretations of Jon Lomberg in Flowers and Other Media
By Marya Mann Not bigger, however, than galactic, multi-media artist Jon Lomberg can imagine. He has made his living conjuring the scope of the heavens for Earth-centric people like me, who realize the enormity of our galaxy—100,000 light-years across—and feel…
Carving Pathways to the Future: The Rocky Jensen Family Bonds in a Love of Art and Their Hawaiian Legacy
By Lucia Tarallo Jensen In the year 1975, a blind prejudice still gripped the art world, believing that native Hawaiians, as well as other native artisans, were only competent to create on a craft level. Up until that time only…
The Magical Art of Francene Hart
Of the visionary artist, I now sing. Paint for us, Francene Hart, so our hearts are cleansed by your life-affirming purples and tangerine tetrahedrons. Pour forth your liquid lavenders, indigo insights, and passionate pinks to nurse our thirsty souls. May…
Dancing in the Light: Visions on Silk by Kristi Kranz
By Karen Valentine A gossamer weave of silk, light as light itself, dances in the morning sun. Stretched between two sawhorses at the studio of artist Kristi Kranz, it awaits the perfection of a completed image, born of the visions…
Portraits of a Culture: The Photographic Artistry of G.P. Merfeld
By Karen Valentine with G.P. Merfeld Chances are, if you are a hula dancer performing at a local festival, a musician strumming at an outdoor concert, a proud member of the Royal Court, or a paddler in the Lili’uokalani Outrigger…
