Featured Artists: Andrea Pro & Kirk Shorte
Featured Cover Artist: Andrea Pro
Andrea Pro, creator of the woodcut print, Nectar, featured on our front cover, shares her inspiration of creating this art piece, “After a hike in Kīlauea Iki crater at Volcano I emerged into the rainforest and watched the beautiful native birds flitting in the upper canopy of the ‘ōhi‘a trees. They chattered and soared together, and invited their buddies to suck nectar from the best blossoms. I came away with an image of this ‘apapane and couldn’t resist adding one of my favorites, the honeybee.”
As a young child, Andrea had a recurring dream of a stout tree growing up through the center of her hobbit house. To this day, she still swoons over trees. Andrea says, “Trees are my celebrities. They show up in my art as portraits, in landscapes, interacting with the sky and clouds, as key features of ecosystems, and as generous hosts to the birds and insects of Hawai‘i.”
In 1997, Andrea took a woodcut printmaking workshop, and knew instantly that she had found her medium and lifelong passion. Andrea reminisces, “I soon found a teacher, master printmaker Hiroki Morinoue, and over the next few years I learned the fine art of woodcut printmaking through Holualoa Foundation for Arts and Culture.”
Her focus on Hawaiian native species started with a fascination of the form and textures of plants. Once Andrea understood that Hawai‘i is unofficially known as the endangered species capitol of the world, she grasped the scale of extinction occurring and the predictions for the future. A strong desire to mālama (take care of) Hawai‘i’s native species took root in her soul. Andrea learned about various plants from biologists, ornithologists and entomologists as she planted trees and collected seeds. A few years ago, she began collaborating to organize native species art exhibitions to support conservation organizations.
“My art is really about conveying the essence of Hawai‘i that often goes unnoticed,” shares Andrea. Amid the bright plumeria, ginger, and plethora of imported plants, the more modest ‘ōhi‘a, wiliwili, koa and ‘ilima donʻt always command admiration. “It’s my passion and job description to notice, learn and share about these important species,” says Andrea.
The artist’s primary medium is woodcut printmaking. This involves a process of carving the image onto one-quarter inch thick blocks of wood, rolling a thin layer of ink onto the surface, laying a sheet of paper onto the surface and running it through a press, which applies pressure to imprint the image onto the paper. Andrea’s images require a different block for each color. It can take up to eight carved blocks to create a print. Each sheet of paper is registered and printed sequentially using each block. Typically 20 original images are printed and each one numbered to create a limited edition. That image will never be printed again.
Andrea says of her art, “I convey the story of nature in Hawai‘i by including the atmosphere, inter-species relationships and the progression of plants from bud to seed, along with their cultural significance. Plants provided nutrition, medicine, tools, hula accoutrements, and building materials that were essential to the everyday life of the Hawaiian people.”
Andrea’s studio is located on her coffee and macadamia nut farm in Keauhou mauka (mountain side) and is open to art lovers throughout the year. Her art is also in several galleries and she is a member of South Kona Artists Collective. Their 2019 SOKO Artists Tour will be the weekend of February 24 and 25.
For more information: andreapro.com
Table Of Contents Photographer: Kirk Shorte
Kirk Shorte is an avid professional photographer who captures the unique beauty and life of Hawai‘i Island in his images. A resident of Kailua-Kona since 2004, Kirk grew up in Belmar, New Jersey where he found a still-working discarded Brownie camera in his grandfather’s attic. He was hooked. A life’s fascination with photography was born.
“I feel joy when I can capture an experience as creative output, especially when that means I can enrich the lives of other people. This vein spans my life; it has enhanced triumphs and soothed tragedies. And it is especially evident in my fine art photography,” shares Kirk.
Kirk is the current President of the Kona Camera Club and has been for the past four years.
