KAHELELANI: A VIVID SYMMETRY

2019 painting, oil on canvas, measuring 20" by 16", with streaks of silver paint. The painting's back stretcher features my thumbprint in oil. 

 

The final painting in my Kahelelani series, this work focuses on a single ‘ākala pua shell, the rarest color type of kahelelani shell found on the island of Ni'ihau. 

 

These shells are unbelievably small, being slightly larger than the head of a pin, and are identified by first indicating the kind of shell, (such as kahelelani, lāiki, etc.) and then by noting their coloration (‘ōma‘oma‘o: green, ‘ākala: pink/red, etc.). Each lei is made of hundreds, sometimes thousands of these shells, which take months to collect for a single strand. In this painting, I wanted to focus on a single shell and make it larger than life. This plays on the diminutive size, and also brings a viewers' focus to texture of the shell. The broad, thick impasto paint represents the shells density, which allows it to endure through an entire ocean and end up eventually on the shores of Ni’ihau.

 

My Kahelelani painting collection was created to highlight the unique artform of shell lei that exists solely on Hawaiian island of Ni'ihau. The immense technical skill, physical beauty, and connection to Hawai'i's physical landscape are reminders of our state's incredible uniqueness. Learn more about the history of shell lei from the Ni'ihau Cultural Heritage Foundation.

​

$1000