TiKi FINE ART

71
Tiki Tiki FINE ART

description

L'art Hawaiien divers et complexe Na Hana Noeau Susan Cardenas (peinture florale) Couture Hawaiienne Fondation Nationale pour la culture et l'art d'Hawaii (HSFCA) The art of Herb Kawainui Kane - (peintre et historien) Heidi Malott - Watercolors and Oils

Transcript of TiKi FINE ART

Tiki Tiki

FINE

ART

Tropical Matchbox

In this issueL'art Hawaiien divers et complexe

Na Hana Noeau

Susan Cardenas (peinture florale)

Couture Hawaiienne

Fondation Nationale pour la culture et l'art

d'Hawaii (HSFCA)

The art of Herb Kawainui Kane - (peintre et

historien)

Heidi Malott - Watercolors and Oils

DjF du MaraisHaWaii

MIX

L'art hawaiien divers et

complexe

La beauté des îles

hawaiiennes a inspirée

d'innombrables artistes pour

la création de certaines des

plus précieuses œuvres du

monde. Les amateurs d'arts

en visite à Hawaii pourront

découvrir que le milieu

artistique local est unique et

très riche.

De nombreux artistes de ce

melting-pot du pacifique

travaillent sur divers média

pour créer des œuvres

spéciales.

L'art d'Hawaii est divers et

complexe, avec un large

éventail de styles qui plaira

aux connaisseurs de tout

âge. Des jolies dessins sur

bois de koa, des

photographies de surf, des

tissages de noix de coco, des

leis, des bijoux souvenirs,

des peintures, l'art à Hawaii a

de quoi plaire à tout le monde

et inspirer les cœurs et les

esprits de ses spectateurs.

George Carter’s Death of Captain James Cook, painted only a few years after Cook’s death from sketches at the scene

Bishop Museum Haaiian Hall

Na Hana Noeau

la beauté au service de l'utile

Beaucoup des œuvres d’arts

créées sur les îles aujourd'hui

prennent leurs racines dans

l'ancienne culture

hawaiienne.

Les anciens artistes

hawaiiens étaient des

artisans talentueux avec un

standard de travail élevé et

un point de vue artistique

unique. Ils croyaient que

chaque tâche était un test de

soi-même et de leur

dévouement à la culture et la

religion hawaiienne. Par des

études rigoureuses et une

attention soutenue, un artisan

pouvait exploiter le mana

(pouvoir ou esprit) des dieux

et, en retour, les apaiser et

créer de la vertu.

Hawaii Diamond Head by Joyce Girgenti

by Olga Shevchenko

Na hana noeau signifie

"travaux pertinents et

recherchés" et représentent

les œuvres artistiques des

anciens, qui étaient belles

autant que fonctionnelles.

Les hawaiiens appliquaient

des principes esthétiques à la

création d'objets usuels, car

chacune de ces créations

devait refléter le mana qu'elle

était sensée posséder. Les

na hana noeau de l'ancienne

Hawaii comprenaient du

kapa, un matériel polyvalent

coloré, du lauhala, feuilles de

hala tressées ayant divers

usages, du bois de koa,

découpés selon les besoins,

et du hulu mano, œuvres en

plumes, utilisées comme

signe de distinction et de

décoration.

Patricia Carroll's Art Cards Hawaii

Ginger Sandell - Coffee Shack

Le kapa est un matériau créé

à partir du bois du Wauke

(Murier à Papier). Le tronc

d'un de ces arbres,

soigneusement choisi, se

voyait retirer de son écorce

couche par couche. Les

couches intérieures étaient

trempées dans l'eau de mer,

laissée à fermenter puis battu

sur de la roche avant d'être

séchées au soleil. Quand une

quantité d'écorce suffisante

avait été collectées,

l'ensemble était à nouveau

trempé puis pressé. L'écorce

était ensuite laissée à

fermenter et ramollir sous des

feuilles de bananes. L'écorce

adoucie était ensuite pétrie,

battue au maillet, remouillée,

puis le processus était

recommencé deux ou trois

fois. Le "tap, tap, tap" du

kapa battue était

reconnaissable entre tous et

pouvait être entendu à des

kilomètres à la ronde.

Leroy Neiman Diamond Head Hawaii Painting

Les bandes obtenues étaient

cousues ensemble pour

former un tissu de la surface

voulue. Si le matériau était

destiné à devenir une

couverture ou un habit, des

morceaux de bambou ou de

ohia plongés dans un

colorant naturel servaient à

peindre des motifs complexes

et répétés sur le tissu. Mais le

matériau pouvait aussi être

tressé en cordes pour des

filets de pêches. Les

couvertures, les lava lavas

(habits), les voiles de canoë

et les muumuus sont

seulement quelques unes

des utilisations qui étaient

faite du kapa. Bien que cette

méthode de fabrication à

partir du kapa ait

virtuellement disparue,

quelques artistes

passionnées continuent de

faire vivre cette tradition

aujourd'hui, comme le

célèbre artiste Puanani Van

Dorpe qui travaille plus de 8

heures par jour à faire des

répliques des anciens motifs

sur kapa.

Naik Michel Photography Hawaii

Aloha Hawaii postcard By Kerne Erickson

Les lauhala (les feuilles de

hala) est encore pratiqué

aujourd'hui pour la fabrication

de nombreux produits, des

chapeaux aux tapis. Les

feuilles sont séchées puis

mouillées pour donner une

texture finement tissée pour

donner diverses formes. Les

lauhala peuvent être finement

tissées en une surface rigide

ou plus relâchées pour des

structures plus souples.

Le hulu manu, la création

avec des plumes, était utilisé

pour faire de beaux

ornements colorés à

destination des chefs

hawaiiens de haut-rang (les

alii). Des chasseurs

d'oiseaux, les kia manu,

étudiaient soigneusement les

comportements de ces bêtes,

en particulier les iiwi, les oo,

les mamo, les apapane, les

nae et les ahuula, et pistaient

ceux dont les plumes

répondaient aux besoins du

projet en cours. Des capes

en plumes appelées ahuula,

des étendards en plumes

appelées kahili, des hochets

en plumes nommés les uli uli

et des bracelets, les kupee,

étaient quelques uns des

objets réalisés avec des

plumes. Les capes les plus

longues nécessitaient le plus

d'attention, étaient les plus

Born in Okinawa and living in Kaneohe most of her

life, Susan Cardenas took for granted the beauty that

surrounded her, as she struggled to fill that void that

only God can fill. After becoming a born again

believer, she began discovering the fantastic array of

color that Hawaii offers so abundantly. The painting

process has provided healing from lifelong

depression and as she captures the beauty of God’s

creation, she hopes to convey the calm and peace

now present in her life.

Susan’s art career started in 1979 as a jewelry artist,

painting miniatures. In 1981, she took oil painting

classes with local artist Stan Yamauchi. After

earning a graphic arts degree in 1984 she worked at

a newspaper, the MidWeek. In 1998, she decided

to follow her passion to become a fineart artist and

has been painting water colors ever since.

Susan Cardenas – Banana flower

Susan Cardenas

colorées et avaient les plus

provenant des oiseaux les

plus rares; en conséquence

elles étaient réservés aux

chefs les plus importants.

Le roi des arbres hawaiiens,

le koa, était utilisé pour

construire toute sorte de

choses, des canoës de mer

géants, des petites balles,

des oo (pelles), des tikis, des

calebasses,...La décoration

était faite à l'aide d'un koi ou

d'un adze, et les artisans

devaient passer des années

d'apprentissage pour

maîtriser cet art difficile.

Le koa est encore largement

utilisé aujourd'hui, mais dans

une moindre mesure.

Most of her techniques are self-taught, using library

materials and watercolor magazines. Later, she took

classes and workshops from island artists Gay

Jefferson, Susan Rogers Aregger, and Roger

Whitlock. Although watercolor is still her main

medium, Susan has been using hand-dyed tissue

papers to create beautitul collages, utilizing the

unique textures and colors that the tissues provide.

She also does miniatures, paintings that are postage

stamp size.

Susan teaches watercolor classes in Kailua and

Honolulu,

“I feel it my obligation to pass on the knowledge and

joy I have experienced so that others may

experience the same healing and peacefulness that I

was given when I started painting.”

Susan Cardenas 2005 - Serenity

Couture hawaiienne

La couture, bien qu'elle ait

commencé à être

pratiquée récemment, a

ses racines dans l'ancien

art du tissage de kapa.

Influencé par la manière

de coudre des

missionnaires d'Hawaii, la

couture indigène prit son

essor et incorpora des

motifs inspirés par la beauté

des îles et le mana des

ancêtres. Kapa apana

désigne une méthode

hawaiienne de couture dans

laquelle trois couches sont

accollées, la couche

supérieure de décoration, la

couche du milieu faite de

fibres et une couche

inférieure. Vous pouvez

trouver une large variété de

designs naturels, des motifs

de feuilles, de fleurs et

d'autres représentations

symboliques.

Susan Cardenas 2005 - Joy

Les images peuvent

également représentées des

endroits spéciaux, des

généalogies royales, des

évènements historiques et

des pensées abstraites.

Chaque maille contient des

significations et des

intentions nombreuses. Un

tissu représentant un ulu, le

fruit à pain, symbolise

l'alimentation et est supposé

apporter à son créateur la

prospérité. Beaucoup de

gens croient que les tissus

hawaiiens contiennent l'esprit

de leur créateur et

transmettre l'aloha.

Auparavant, un tissu pouvait

être enterré en même temps

que l'artiste qui en était à

l'origine pour que son esprit

reste intègre. Bien que la

plupart des motifs des

anciens tissus hawaiiens

aient été perdus,

les tisserands d'aujourd'hui

incorporent des dessins

traditionnels à côté de ceux

plus contemporains pour

conserver cette pratique

culturelle bien vivante.

Susan Cardenas 2005 - Plumeria blues and yellow

Les images peuvent

également représentées des

endroits spéciaux, des

généalogies royales, des

évènements historiques et

des pensées abstraites.

Chaque maille contient des

significations et des

intentions nombreuses. Un

tissu représentant un ulu, le

fruit à pain, symbolise

l'alimentation et est supposé

apporter à son créateur la

prospérité. Beaucoup de

gens croient que les tissus

hawaiiens contiennent l'esprit

de leur créateur et

transmettre l'aloha.

Auparavant, un tissu pouvait

être enterré en même temps

que l'artiste qui en était à

l'origine pour que son esprit

reste intègre. Bien que la

plupart des motifs des

anciens tissus hawaiiens

aient été perdus,

les tisserands d'aujourd'hui

incorporent des dessins

traditionnels à côté de ceux

plus contemporains pour

conserver cette pratique

culturelle bien vivante.

Susan Cardenas 2005 - Hibiscus red

La Fondation Nationale

pour la culture et l'art

d'Hawaii (HSFCA)

Mis en place par l'Etat

d'Hawaii en 1965, la

HSFCA est destinée à

préserver, promouvoir et

perpétuer les arts à

Hawaii. Des subventions

fédérales aident la HSFCA

à poursuivre sa mission

d'accroître l'intérêt pour sa

vision de l'art. Des moyens

d'éducation ont été mis en

place, comme la Loi sur l'Art

dans les Bâtiments Publics

qui initia le programme visant

à amener l'art sur les places

publics, ou le programme

pour les artistes dans les

écoles de 1970, le premier

programme à dimension

national mettant en contact

les étudiants et des artistes

professionnels.

Susan Cardenas 2005 - Birds

On n'a pas besoin de visiter

un musée ou une galerie

d'œuvres d'art pour trouver

des œuvres hawaiiennes.

Quand on explore les îles

hawaiiennes, il est presque

impossible de manquer les

omniprésentes touches

artistiques ornant les

monuments historiques, les

bâtiments publics, les

bibliothèques, les centres

commerciaux, les aéroports,

les parcs et les plages. Des

statues de bronze géantes ou

lei de coquillages ou de

plumes

L'art à Hawaii est

profondément spirituel

et empreint de

symbolisme.

KAWAINUI KANEHERB COMPILED by DjF du MARAIS

Shark Strikes

Daughters of the Sea

LIttle Mermaid

If my work contributes to our

comprehension of Hawai'i's

past, that will ultimately

become the greatest reward.

""

Herb Kawainui Kane

KAH-ney

HERB KAWAINUI KANE

(pronounced KAH-ney) is an

artist-historian and author with

special interest in Hawai'i and the

South Pacific. Born in 1928, he was

raised in Waipi'o Valley and Hilo,

Hawai'i, and Wisconsin. After Navy

service, he studied at the School of

the Art Institute of Chicago (master's

degree 1953) and at the University of

Chicago. He resides in rural South

Kona on the island of Hawaii.

HERB KAWAINUI KANE

Known as ulu, or uru in Polynesia, the breadfruit tree (Moraceae) originated in Asia and was brought to the Pacific islands of Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia by early sailing canoes.The fruit was cooked as food, the light wood was used for canoes, the bark served for some types of barkcloth, and the milky sap was rendered in fire to make a glue for caulking seams and cracks in canoes. The tree has been under cultivation for so long that most varieties cannot grow from seed, but must be grown from shoots. Injuring near-surface roots causes shoots to spring up, which are then cut away and transplanted, a process so difficult from yard to yard, that it testifies to the skill of ancient voyagers who kept such saplings alive over thousands of miles of deadly sea water.

A Hawaiian legend tells of the chief Kaha'i who brought breadfruit saplings from Tahiti long ago, sailing not less than 2,800 miles each way. The famous mutiny on the British ship Bounty resulted from the first attempt by William Bligh to bring young breadfruit shoots from Tahiti to the British West Indies where the trees might serve as a labor-free source of food for slaves.

Artist historianand author

Career experience has included

advertising art, publishing art,

architectural design, painting, writing,

and sculpture. Clients include many

private collectors, the Hawaii State

Foundation on Culture and the Arts,

the National Park Service, National

Geographic, and major publishers of

books and periodicals. His art has

appeared on seven postage stamps

for the U.S. Postal Service, as well

as stamps for the Republic of the

Marshall Islands, the Federated

States of Micronesia, and French

Polynesia.

Hula Holoku

In this elegant dance the dancer wears a holoku, a formal 19th century dress with a train -- but is traditionally barefooted. The painting suggests the flowing, graceful movement of the dance by superimposing several images of the dancer as she moves from side to side and slowly forward.

When missionaries arrived in Hawaii they were shocked by the scanty costumes of Hawaiian ladies, and quickly promoted the wearing of the mu'umu'u, a loose sack-like dress. Eager to acquire European-American ways, Hawaiian women adopted the mu'umu'u quickly. The more formal holoku was worn on special occasions. It remains a tradition among local ladies, and annual holoku balls are held in which prizes are awarded for the winning designs. The model was Kona dancer Michelle Amaral.

with special interest

As a design consultant, he has

worked on resorts in Hawaii and the

South Pacific and a cultural center in

Fiji. Books now in print are Pele,

Goddess of Hawaii's Volcanoes

(1987, revised 1995), and Voyagers

(1991, reprinted 2006) which

includes 140 of his works in color.

Another illustrated book, Ancient

Hawaii August 1998, describes the

arts, skills, society and world-view of

the Polynesians who discovered and

flourished in what became the

Hawaiian Islands.

Pink Pareu

in Hawai'i and the South Pacific

Research on Polynesian canoes and

voyaging led to his participation as

general designer and builder of the

sailing canoe Hokule'a, which he

served as its first captain in 1975.

Hokule'a has now made several

Hawaii-Tahiti voyages, and voyages

to New Zealand, Easter Island,

Tonga, the Marquesas Islands, the

Cook Islands, Micronesia and Japan,

of which more than 110,000 miles

were navigated without modern

instruments.

Hamoa Beach

Tubuai Lagoon

Polynesian canoes

He is well known for paintings that

expertly depict the many types of

Polynesian and Micronesian sailing

canoes.

In 1984 he was elected a Living

Treasure of Hawaii. In the 1987 Year

of the Hawaiian Celebration, he was

one of sixteen persons chosen as

Po'okela(Champion). From 1988 to

1992 he served as a founding trustee

of the Native Hawaiian Culture & Arts

Program, a Federal program at

Bishop Museum.The tongiaki was the double-hulled voyaging canoe used during the period of Tongan expansion in the 16th, 17, and 18th centuries when Tongan "vikings" dominated much of Samoa and the eastern Fiji Islands and ventured northward into Micronesia and westward into Melanesia. In 1619 the first contact between a European ship and a Polynesian canoe at sea occurred when the Dutch explorer Schouten met -- and fired on -- a tongiaki. He wrote: "The rig of these vessels is so excellent and they go so well under sail that few ships in Holland could overhaul them." The elegant hulls were made by carving a "keel" hull from a log, then building up the sides with planks carved to the curvature, lashed edge to edge, and caulked with breadfruit gum.

The painting is based on a plan drawn by the Cook Expedition; but during Cook’s visits the tongiakiwas being replaced by the swift kalia.

Honaunau bay

Tongiaki of Tonga

Now restored as a National Park,

The ‘Pu‘uhonua o Honaunau

(Sanctuary of Honaunau) was a

place of safety for persons in trouble.

Here, in the reconstructed thatched

mortuary Hale o Keawe, the mana

(power) believed to be retained in the

bones of ancient kings protected the

area within the “great wall”—a wall up

to fourteen feet thick of rocks fitted

without mortar, some of amazing

size. Anyone entering that area to do

harm risked retribution from the

spirits of those kings. The idea was

the same as the sanctuary offered by

a medieval European cathedral under

the spiritual protection of a holy relic

of a saint kept within its walls.

In 1998, he was awarded Bishop

Museum's Charles Reed Bishop

Medal. In 2002, he received an

award for excellence from The

Hawaii Book Publishers Association.

He is a 2008 recipient of an honorary

doctorate awarded by the School of

the Art Institute of Chicago.

Herb's new Hawaii commemorative

stamp for the U.S. Postal Service,

celebrating 50 years of statehood,

was released in August 2009.

50th anniversary of Hawai‘i’s

Voyagers from the Marquesas or the leeward

Tahitian Islands discover the white summit of Mauna

Kea rising above a cloud bank. Applying the age-

distribution theory, which assumes that cultural

features found most widely distributed must be the

most ancient, the painting depicts features of sail

and hull design which survived local changes in the

Marquesas, Hawai'i, the Cook Islands, and New

Zealand.

The custom of a sternpiece higher than the bow

survived in the Marquesas, Tahitian Islands, Austral

Islands, Cook Islands, and New Zealand. The sail,

sternpiece and bowpiece are also found in a

petroglyph on Easter Island.

Behold Hawaii

The typical Micronesian canoe is an “outrigger”, a

single canoe with a stabilizing float always rigged out

on the windward side. It is also a “double-ender,”

meaning the same at both ends, with the ends

interchangeable.

While most sailing vessels change direction by

turning to take the wind on their opposite side, the

double-ender turns in a way that always keeps wind

on the same side where its weight helps prevent a

capsize.

In this maneuver, the canoe is turned into the wind,

diminishing wind pressure on the sail.

The spar to which the sail is attached is released

from one end of the hull, and the entire sail-and-spar

assembly is carried aft and fastened to the other end

of the canoe.

The mast pivots in the same direction, supporting

the weight. The wind also helps move the entire

assembly from one end to the other.

Bow has become stern, stern has become bow, and

the canoe sails off in the opposite direction with the

outrigged float still upwind of the canoe.

When viewed from the end, the hull —or body—of

most Micronesian canoes appears asymmetrical—

the leeward or down-wind side of the hull of the

canoe showing less curvature than the outrigger

side. This flatness increases the canoe’s sideways

pressure against the water, reducing the amount of

drift away from the wind and increasing both the

vessel’s sailing speed and its ability to sail at an

angle into the wind.

In the 18th century the concept was picked up by

Polynesians, most likely by Tongan adventurers

raiding northward into Micronesia and applying what

they learned to canoes they built in Fiji and Samoa;

but more about the “Tongan Empire” later.

Canoes have always been the principal objects of

Micronesian culture. Within the Caroline Islands,

canoes are built and used for fishing and voyaging

as they have been for many centuries. In 1969 an

ancient route between the Carolines and the

Marianas Islands five hundred miles to the north was

reopened by local navigators.

The Micronesian canoe is an “outrigger”—a single

canoe connected to an outrigged float for stability.

When sailing, the float is always kept to windward.

The hull (body of the canoe) is identical at both ends,

but with less curvature on the side away from the

outrigger. This flatness on the lee (downwind) side

increases the hull’s sideways pressure against the

water, adding speed to the canoe regardless of

which direction it is sailing.

To change sailing direction, the canoe is first turned

into the wind. This collapses the sail, which is

attached to a spar. The spar is released from the

bow of the canoe and carried to the other end, which

then becomes the bow. The weight is largely

supported by a mast which is stepped half-way

between the ends of the hull and tilts in the same

direction. The wind also helps push the entire rig

from one end to the other. The spar is fastened to

the other end of the hull, the sail is drawn in to catch

the wind, and the canoe sails off in the opposite

direction. Bow and stern have been reversed. Early

European explorers, impressed by the speed of

these vessels, called them “flying proa.”

Painting in the collection of Stephen and Diane

Heiman

A Canoe of the Caroline Islands in Micronesia

NAVIGATOR

Kahuna Kilo HokuA navigator of ancient Hawai‘i aboard a sailing canoe.

He wears a pendant of polished pearl shell—a metaphor

for “star” because of its luster— suspended by a

necklace of strands of finely braided hair of ancestors,

treasured for its mana. Over an underwrap of tapa (bark

cloth) he wears a fine mat, fastened around his waist

with braided sennit (coconut fiber). As protection against

the chill of the coming night he may use an overwrap of

waterproofed and dyed tapa , now slung over his

shoulder and fastened about his waist with sennit. His

tattoos—waves, birds, and star—are symbolic of his

profession—dominant wave patterns, the flight paths of

migrating birds, and stars are direction indicators at sea.

The secondary element in the painting’s design is a

voyaging canoe under sail. A third element is a ki‘i

aumakua (ancestral spirit image) holding a pearl shell,

symbolizing a navigator holding fast to a guiding star.

Such images were not portraits, but physical resting

places for benevolent ancestral spirits whose invisible

presence and helpful power could be invoked by chants

and solicited by acts of respect.

It is believed that surfing by board and

canoe was invented in Hawai‘i, for in all

of their travels around the world and

throughout the Pacific the 18th century

expedition under Captain James Cook

saw nothing like it until they reached

these islands.

Hawaii Island

we were jaded & very heartily tired, with

Cruising off these Islands for near two

months, the Weather was often more

boist'rous than we could have imagin'd in

this Latitude, & almost a Constant &

heavy Swell or Sea when off the NE side

of the Island; our old ropes & Sails were

daily giving way."

The King of Hawai'i, Kalaniopu'u, had met

Cook off the coast of Maui and invited

him to visit Hawai'i. Cook arrived at

Kealakekua, the island's only natural

harbor, after a six week's circuit of the

island. The king arrived with his canoe

fleet nine days later.

"I HAVE NO WHERE IN THIS SEA seen such a number of people

assembled at one place," wrote Captain James Cook"... besides those in

the Canoes all the Shore of the bay was covered with people and

hundreds were swimming about the Ships like shoals of fish."

Lieutenant James King estimated, "... there could not be less than 15

hundred [canoes] about both Ships ... we should not exaggerate, in

saying we saw at this time 10000 of the Inhabitants. ... They expressed

the greatest joy and satisfaction ... nor was the Pleasure less on our

side;

Captain Cook's Expedition Entering Kealakekua Bay, Hawai'i

Hawaii IslandHawaiian hospitality was lavish. Cook

was honored with the title "Rono,"

described by his men as the same title

held by an important local chief. The king

may have hoped Cook would reciprocate

in an alliance against his enemies -- an

idea frequently advanced by island

chiefs, but one Cook would have

rejected.

Repaired and reprovisioned, the ships

sailed, but Resolution's foremast broke in

a gale, forcing Cook back to the bay for

repairs. The king was apprehensive at

Cook's return. Commoners began to steal

from the ships, and tempers flared on

both sides.

Cook and four marines were killed on

February 14 while attempting to take the

king as a hostage to force the return of a

stolen boat. Captain Charles Clerke of

the Discovery took command of the

expedition. After Clerke's death of

tuberculosis, Lieutenant John Gore took

the expedition home.

Nine days after the Cook expedition anchored at Kealakekua Bay, the

king arrived from Maui with his war fleet. Captain Cook was surprised to

find that it was the same elderly chief he had met at sea off Maui almost

two months earlier.

The next morning, the king cleared the bay of all canoes, then came out

with three large canoes. The first carried the king and many chiefs, and

was laden with brilliant feather capes.

The second carried priests and large feather-covered spirit images, and

the third was heavily loaded with provisions. A stately procession was

made around Cook's ships, perhaps the most impressive spectacle the

British had seen in the entire Pacific.

King Kalaniopu'u Welcoming Cook to Kealakekua Bay

Hawaii Island

This work also includes the first depiction

of Hawaiian battle mats, described in

British journals as worn in the same

manner as the feather capes. In combat

the cape was carried over the left

shoulder and held forward by the left

hand to take the impact of a sling stone

or to snag the point of a spear or dagger,

leaving the right arm free to wield a

weapon.

Geologists believe this coastline has

subsided 28 inches in the last 200 years.

The rock from which Cook fell is now

submerged, but can be located. The

waterline on the rock is the result of

computer work with moon phases which

produced an estimate of the tide at 8:00

AM.

This is a more accurate reconstruction of the moment than depicted in

earlier paintings. It is based on the eye witness account of Marine Lt.

Molesworth Phillips, a study of the weapons and dress of both sides,

and estimates by scientists of the physical setting. Cook was not in

breeches and hose, but wearing canvas trousers. He was not on a

sandy beach, but was struck down while striding toward the water across

a broad lava rock, his spent musket in his right hand.

The Death of Cook

Hawaii Island the most eminent of Cook scholars, believed Cook was

waving to the boats to come closer to shore. Like so

many mariners of his day, he could not swim. A Portrait

of Pele: "This work began with many unsuccessful

attempts to express my interpretation of Pele's

personality. The idea had been bothering me for some

time, and over a period of several months, I made many

sketches in pencil. All were failures. None said, 'I am

Pele.'

"I contemplated the probability that I had set myself upon

a fool's errand. After all, why cast her in a human

likeness when no better portrait of Pele could be desired

than the fiery eruptions, and the unique lava and fern

jungle landscape of her domain? Also, Pele has no single

likeness, but changes her features and age to suit her

moods.

"One morning I arrived in my studio and again started a

sketch - and another - and another. The day's scheduled

work was forgotten. I disconnected the phone. A

scattering of unsatisfactory sketches began to litter the

floor.

"Then I began perspiring. It was one of those all too rare

moments when the pencil or brush seems to move itself.

The face I had been looking for suddenly appeared. I

whispered, 'There you are!'

The Death of Cook

Cook had abandoned his attempt to take the king

hostage against the return of a stolen boat. At a

threatening gesture by one of the king's guards, he fired

both barrels of his musket, then ordered the marines to

fire. Instead of dispersing, the Hawaiians charged.

Phillips heard Cook shout, "Take to the boats!" Phillips

was struck down and stabbed in the shoulder, but raised

himself and fired at his assailant before escaping. A man

with a crude club struck Cook behind the head, while a

chief in a feather cape, known to the British as Nua,

rushed around a parked double canoe and stabbed him

with one of the iron daggers the ship's blacksmiths had

been forging as trade items. Surgeon's Mate Samwell

described Nua as a of "... great consequence ... tall and

stout and one who united in his figure the two qualities of

strength and agility in a greater degree, than I ever

remembered to have seen before in any other man."

Cook fell face down in the water and was stabbed many

times.

At the far left, the old king is being escorted to safety.

Marine corporal, James Thomas, waist deep in the

water, receives a mortal wound from a dagger thrust.

Resolution is shown with the foremast removed for

repair. Cook's hand was raised toward the boats -- a

gesture now widely interpreted as a signal to cease

firing. However, J.C. Beaglehole,

Ancient Hawaii

The wars were over and the Kingdom of

Hawai'i firmly established. At

Kamakahonu, his estate at Kailua Village

in Kona, Kamehameha devoted his last

years to ruling his kingdom as a

benevolent and just monarch,

encouraging prosperity, conducting

business with foreigners, and educating

his son, Liholiho, as his successor.

The painting depicts him wearing a simple kapagarment in conversation

with Liholiho. Beside him stands his prime minister, Kalanimoku. The

prince's attendant wearing a short yellow cape, is John Papa I'i, who

later became an important historian. The fish in the foreground represent

the gifts of food brought daily to the court.

Two ladies of the court are seated at left. Kamehameha's residence was

a complex of thatched structures around a tranquil cove at Kailua Bay.

Across the cove stands his private temple, Ahu'ena. The original painting

is displayed at the King Kamehameha Hotel in Kona, Hawaii.

Kamehameha at Kamakahonu

As the evening sky darkened, men

prowled the shallow waters of bays and

lagoons with torches and spears.

Candles used for lighting homes were

made by stringing dried nutmeats of oily

kukui nuts on thin bamboo skewers. As

each nut burned, it ignited the nut below.

Clusters of these candles were carried in a hollow bamboo to make a

torch. Spears were hardwood shafts, six to seven feet long, the tips

tapered to a point and fire-hardened.

Night Fishing in Old Hawai'i

Gods &

In a time of storms a supernatural sea

turtle laid a single egg in the black sand

beach of Punalu'u, on the southern shore

of the Island of Hawai'i. Scooping up

sand to cover it, she created a large

fresh-water pond behind the beach.

From the egg, a baby turtle hatched. The

people named her Kauila because her

shell was the dark brown color of kauila

wood. As a mo'o (water spirit), she could

turn herself into a little girl and come

ashore to play with the children; but when

sleepy, she would turn into a little turtle

and retreat into the pond for a nap.

As she grew she would appear as a

beautiful maiden, but whenever a young

man made advances she would escape

into the dark pond. Today, as you walk

along the pond's edge, you may see

bubbles rising -- a sign that she is still

asleep.

Turtle Mermaid Kauila

Pele-honua-mea

She is Pele-honua-mea, Pele of the

sacred land. She is Pele-'ai-honua, Pele

the eater of land, when she devours the

land with her flames.

She rules the volcanoes of Hawai'i, and

Mankind has no power to resist her.

When Pele is heard from, her word is the

final word.

In folklore she may appear as a tall,

beautiful young woman, or as an old

woman, wrinkled and bent with age,

sometimes accompanied by a white dog.

When enraged she may appear as a

woman all aflame or as pure flame. her

sacred name as a spirit is Ka-'ula-o-ke-

ahi, the redness of fire.

Goddesses

Pele-honua-mea

A Portrait of Pele: "This work began with many

unsuccessful attempts to express my interpretation of

Pele's personality. The idea had been bothering me for

some time, and over a period of several months, I made

many sketches in pencil. All were failures. None said, 'I

am Pele.'

"I contemplated the probability that I had set myself upon

a fool's errand. After all, why cast her in a human

likeness when no better portrait of Pele could be desired

than the fiery eruptions, and the unique lava and fern

jungle landscape of her domain? Also, Pele has no

single likeness, but changes her features and age to suit

her moods.

"One morning I arrived in my studio and again started a

sketch - and another - and another. The day's scheduled

work was forgotten. I disconnected the phone. A

scattering of unsatisfactory sketches began to litter the

floor.

"Then I began perspiring. It was one of those all too rare

moments when the pencil or brush seems to move itself.

The face I had been looking for suddenly appeared. I

whispered, 'There you are!'

"I quickly traced it down on a canvas that had been

intended for another painting, washed an underpainting

over the surface, and began to develop that face.

"She hung around my studio for just a few weeks before

a friend tore her away from me. He had dropped by to

tell me about a new lady love, and here he found

another.

"Months later Ranger Jon Erickson called from Hawai'i

Volcanoes National Park, asking me to participate with

their designers on a new museum about Hawai'i's

volcanoes. It had been conceived as a scientific

museum, but something seemed missing; science alone

could not express the human experience of the

volcanoes.

"Pele personified that experience. I worked with the

designers to integrate the Hawaiian volcano myths with

scientific presentations.

"For further depictions of Pele I thought I should look for

a model. At breakfast one morning at the Hotel Hana

Maui I thought I saw the features I was looking for in the

face of our waitress. When I introduced myself, she said,

'Yes, I know who you are. I'm Mona Ling, the daughter of

Sam Kalalau who sailed with you on Hokule'a.'

Pele-honua-meaKamapua'a, the hog god; a mischievous spirit of rain,

moisture and plant life. He was Pele's lover, but in all

ways her opposite. Theirs was a stormy relationship.

Poliahu, goddess of snowy Mauna Kea -- a sister and a

jealous rival to Pele locked in an eternal ice and fire

enmity.

Pele's sisters, Kapo and Laka, two personalities of the

same spirit -- one a spirit of fertility and sorcery, the other

a spirit of the dance.

Hi'iaka, a spirit of the dance, was Pele's favorite sister.

Pele, appearing as a beautiful young woman and as an

old hag.

Ka-moho-ali'i, respected elder brother and keeper of

the water of life. As a great shark he led Pele to Hawaii.

Lonomakua, keeper of the sacred fire sticks, made

volcanic fires at Pele's command.

Ka-poho-i-kahi-ola, spirit of explosions.

Ke-ua-a-ke-po, spirit of the rain of fire.

Kane-hekili, spirit of thunder.

Ke-o-ahi-kama-kaua, spirit of lava fountains.

"She modeled for me in a photo session that afternoon.

Later I developed some of the poses into several

studies, and further refined one of the studies into a

painting. But when I did the paintings of Pele for the new

Thomas A. Jaggar Museum, I found that none of the

photos of Mona worked for me. Although she could not

convert her features into a portrait that would say 'I am

Pele.' So all my paintings and sculpture of Pele have

been done, like the first, not from a human model, but

from the vision in my mind's eye. I can only believe that

it was because Mona's features were just too vulnerably

human.

"After the museum paintings were done and I was

putting away my research, it occurred to me that here

was material that might be molded into a little book

(Pele, Goddess of Hawai'i's Volcanoes"

by Herb Kawainui Kane.

A Pantheon of Volcano SpiritsLeft to right:

Pacific People

Disdaining the "side-saddle" riding

position, Hawaiian women wore long

riding skirts (pa'u) that enabled them to

straddle their horses. Their elders might

prefer carriages, but high-spirited young

women rode out on horseback, singing as

they ambled along, often making a

dramatic arrival at a party at full gallop.

The tradition of decorating both horse

and rider with lei of flowers, ferns and

berries, and wearing the riding pa'u may

still be seen at parades and celebrations

throughout Hawai'i.

Pa'u Riders of old Hawai'i

On the Veranda

Pacific PeopleReady to Party

Told to me as a true story. -Herb

It was "party time."

Aunty had dutifully cared for her

housebound husband through his long

terminal illness; but after he was called to

his ancestors, it was party time - time to

get out of the house and see people. She

visited relatives, and looked up old

friends - "girls" she had known at

Kamehameha Schools sixty years ago.

And wherever she went parties

blossomed out like flowers after a long

rain. After she had visited everyone she

wanted to see on 'Oahu, she ventured

out to the neighbor islands. She went to

Kauai, then to Molokai, then to Hawai'i.

Pacific People

It had been a long time since she had

seen her relatives in Hawai'i's Kona

district. On the whole the visit was "good

fun," but she was not pleased about all

the changes. Kona seemed so busy now,

so many cars and people. She missed

the faces of relatives who had died, and

the others now looked much older than

she had remembered them. There were

new great-grandchildren to enjoy, but little

Keoki, the grandson she had

remembered as such a darling baby, was

now a big wild-looking kid who she once

saw sneaking a puff on a funny-smelling,

hand-rolled cigarette. She guessed what

that was.

Maui was next on her itinerary. When the

family took her to the airport in a parade

of cars, Keoki hauled her bags in a truck

with over-size tires and a boom box you

could hear a mile away.

On the Lanai

Femme des iles Sandwich

Pacific People

As he carried her bags to the airline ticket

counter, he whispered, "Tutu, I put a little

surprise from Kona in your suitcase." But

her attention was taken by other relatives

surrounding her with words of aloha as

they bedecked her with flower leis.

The sun had set when the plane landed

on Maui. She looked around out in front

of the terminal, but the friend who had

offered to meet her was not there. She

waited until dark; then, remembering her

bags, walked to the baggage claim rack.

Hawaiian Reverie

Before the Dance

Pacific People

She found her two suitcases, the only

bags remaining on the rack. But when

she put her hands on them, two very

large, young, uniformed policemen

suddenly appeared, one on each side of

her. "We'll have to ask you to open those

bags, Lady, if you don't mind," one said.

"For what?" She replied, "And yes, I do

mind! Everything in those bags is

personal." "I'm sorry, but we must insist

on inspecting your luggage." the other

said.

Serenade

Pacific People

She was not much above five feet tall, but

she could develop a towering temper.

"You don't look into my personal stuff

'less you got one damn good reason."

The two policemen glanced at each other.

"I'm sorry," one said, "but we must have a

look in your bags" "You're not going to

look in my bags, but I tell you what you

are going to do," she ordered. "You get

on your radio and you call Lieutenant

Kawaiaina, and you tell him to get right

down here. Right now!"

The policemen were taken aback. One

said, "I'm sorry but I think he's off duty

now. You know him?"

"Know him? I gave birth to him. You call

my son right now and tell him to get over

here."

Performers

Pacific People

"I think he's watching the Monday night

football."

"I don't care what he's doing. You call my

boy and tell him to turn off his TV and

come down here right this minute." One

of the men made the call.

When her son arrived minutes later, he

said, "Mama, you didn't tell me you when

you were coming or I would have been

here." "I no like bother you, Baby.

Anyway, my classmate Napua was

meeting me, but I think she forgot. But

what's all this pilikia?"

"You have to open the bags, Mama. Why

won't you?"

"Because then these boys will see all my

underwears! That's not their business."Bernice Pauahi Bishop

Pacific People

"Let me explain, Mama. At the Kona

airport they got one dog trained to smell

drugs. This dog sniffs all the bags that

are checked in, and if it gets excited they

take down the description of the bag and

where it's going. Then they phone ahead

to the police at that airport. They watch

the bags and catch whoever picks them

up."

"Drugs? In my bags?" Still indignant,

Aunty was now also incredulous. "Mama,

they said that the dog sniffed that brown

suitcase, and went crazy." "Oh, so that's

it!" In sudden fright she remembered her

grandson's remark at the Kona airport.

"That wild kid of Julia's! He said he put

something in my bag. Well, you can open

it, Baby, but tell those other boys to stand

back."Anna Perry Fiske on horse

Pacific People

Her son opened the brown suitcase.

From among Aunty's personal things he

extracted a paper-wrapped package,

which he opened. Laughing, he called to

the other policemen, "Hey, boys, you like

taste the evidence? It's the real Kona

gold - dried opelu!"

In the package was five pounds of

wonderfully fragrant dried fish.

Plaiter of Mats

Pacific PeopleThe making of barkcloth from the white

inner bark of the paper mulberry tree has

been an art practiced throughout

Polynesia, Micronesia and Melanesia,

The art was brought to it's highest form in

Hawai'i, both in the process of preparing

the bark fibers and in the variety of

decoration.

Puanani Van Dorpe, depicted here at

work in her studio, has patiently gathered

accounts by early observers of the

processes involved in the making and

decorating of traditional Hawaiian bark

cloth (kapa) and has put them to test,

carefully recording and evaluating the

results of each experiment. Through

arduous practice she has also developed

her skill in the uniquely Hawaiian process

of felting, beating, watermarking and

decorating, and she has become the only

person in the world who is now able to

produce kapa identical to kapa two

centuries old.

She has shared her discoveries with her

daughter Kapuailohia and others. A

growing interest from art collectors has

added stimulus to the rebirth of this

traditional art form.

Puanani making Kapa

Pacific PeopleThe New Quilt

In this painting the tradition of Hawaiian

quilt-making, distinctive in style and

technique from other quilts, is passed

down from a grandmother to her

granddaughter.

This image was featured on a poster for

the 2000 Census, distributed by the U.S.

Postal Service to post offices throughout

the nation. The headline on the poster

was,

"Generations are counting on you."

Pacific PeopleKahai

TIMEIsland

As they have for generations, swimmers

festoon the large rock that stands just off

shore at Waimea, O'ahu. Some oldtimers

call it "Wowo Rock." Wowo means bellow

or roar, and it is said the rock makes such

sounds when pounded by high surf. The

title "Island" expresses the thought that

the rock covered with humanity is, in

microcosm, not unlike the burgeoning

population of the Island of O'ahu; or, for

that matter, our island in space, Earth.

Let's hope we can all get along as well as

these kids.

IN LIFE

Hamoa Beach, Maui

A secluded sandy swimming beach near

Hana, Maui. Hamoa is the name of the

bay, the village in that area, and the

ahupua'a (land division) rising up the

mountain from the sea.

It is thought that the name comes from

Ha'amoa or Hamoa, the ancient name for

Samoa. (in the evolution of the Samoan

dialect, H became S).

But what does Samoa mean?

A Samoan scholar told me it means "The

Sacred Center."

TIME IN LIFE

Cloud

TIME IN LIFE

Kids at Kahalu‘u

TIME IN LIFE

With their colorful “boogie boards” they were

playing in the shallows at Kahalu‘u Beach Park,

clustering together in an ever-changing

kaleidoscope of colors and patterns. In my mind’s

eye I thought it would make an interesting painting

The Hawaii statehood stamp

The Hawaii statehood stamp, created by artist and

historian Herb Kawainui Kane, was dedicated on Aug. 21

by U.S. Postal Service Honolulu District Manager Daryl

Ishizaki and Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle.

The U.S. Postal Service® commemorated the 50th

anniversary of Hawai‘i’s statehood with the release of

this 2009 stamp. Artist and historian Herb Kawainui Kane

of Captain Cook, Hawai‘i, who has dedicated much of his

life to studying Hawaiian culture and history, created

the painting on the stamp. In the art, a surfer rides a

wave on a longboard, a popular choice among surfers

for centuries. Next to him, two people paddle an

outrigger canoe to shore

50th anniversary of Hawai‘i’s

How many stamps have you designed?

This is my 9th for the U.S. Postal Service, the first being

one of the Historic Preservation series in which one artist

of each state was engaged to do a 30″ x 30″ painting of

a project of historic preservation in that state. The

collection became a traveling exhibit throughout the U.S.

The list includes stamps for the U.S.

Micronesian Trust Territories as each became

independent republics in free association with the United

States.

These include Palau, Marshall Islands, Guam, the

Northern Marianas, and the Federated States of

Micronesia. Here I worked with Art Director Howard

Paine, a friend and a great coach who I had worked with

earlier when he was art director for the National

Geographic Society.

The commemorative for 25 years of Hawaii statehood

was another assignment. I also did approximately 32

stamps for the Republic of the Marshall Islands when

they became involved in the business of philatelics. And

there were four for French Polynesia, but there was no

charge for this service in gratitude for the tremendous

hospitality that was given to Hawaii’s voyaging canoe

Hokule‘a upon

its first round-trip voyage between Hawai‘i and Tahiti in

1976.

I have not done any stamps for the Cook Islands, but the

stamp concessionaire to the Cooks, Finbar Kenny, a

buddy of Cook Islands Premier Sir Albert Henry,

produced several with very crude knockoffs of some of

my paintings of Polynesian canoes, without my

authorization. My protests were ignored with the excuse

that the Cook Islands had not signed on to international

copyright agreements. The story was eventually

published by the American journalist Galal Kernahan in

Pacific Islands

Monthly, under the title, “The Stamp of Disapproval.”

Finbar Kenny sued the magazine for defamation of

character, but dropped the suit when his solicitors

learned that he had given Premier Henry several

hundred thousand dollars to fly Cook Islanders residing

New Zealand back home to vote for Henry in an election.

As a U.S. citizen Kenny was tried and fined in Federal

Court for bribing an official of a foreign nation, and

instructed to stand trial in the Cook Islands also. Queen

Elizabeth revoked Albert Henry’s knighthood and he died

several months later.

50th anniversary of Hawai‘i’s

How long does it take to do a stamp design?

Anywhere from a few days of working time up to two

years of submitting a wide variety of ideas and

preliminary sketches if it is a U.S. commemorative. The

Postal Service art director sifts out the best which are

then reviewed by a committee.

Those sketches selected are then more carefully

rendered in paint as “comprehensive sketches”. A

finished painting with the typography indicated is then

presented to a state committee usually composed of

elected representatives appointed by the governor for

final approval. It was a great pleasure to work on this

commemorative with Art Director Phil Jordan.

Why did you suggest the theme of surfing—among

other themes?

It’s part of the indigenous culture of Hawai‘i. Surfing

today is world wide, but it was invented in Hawaii – both

board surfing and canoe surfing. When the British

Expedition under Capt.James Cook arrived in 1778 on

the 3rd voyage of Pacific exploration, they witnessed

surfing for the first time. But I’ve not included any

recognizable land form such as Diamond Head because

surfing was done throughout the islands. However, there

is a picture of Diamond Head already on the “cachet”

you can order from your Hawai‘i Post Offices that

contains a “cover” showing the new stamp cancelled to

the first day of issue. That is a detail from another of my

paintings, one depicting Prince Kuhio surfing with five

paddlers aboard his personal racing canoe with Diamond

Head in the background. The setting is off what is now

called the Kuhio Beach area of Waikiki.

What’s the most challenging part of stamp design?

The need for simplicity. Because of the small size of the

finished product, one must reduce the subject to its

essence in a very simple graphic statement, yet in a way

that is visually pleasing. This can be difficult, but it’s a

necessary exercise. To get down to that essence the

designer must strip away all that is really unimportant

and extraneous, no matter how much one might wish to

include it. It’s good exercise and it clears the mind. Then,

perhaps at four AM, or perhaps while shaving, the idea

presents itself to your mind’s eye, fully shaped, in one of

those rare “eureka” moments.

Sassie Hulla Dancer

"

"

My versatility has enabled me to survive

over my half century as an artist. Whereas

most artists stay with a style that reflects

their inner personality, I believe an artist

should be like actors who can play many

roles, and who subjugate themselves to the

role at hand, letting it tell them how to play it.

As a Chinese artist said to me, 'to paint a

flower you must be a flower; to paint a tiger

you must be a tiger.'

- Herb Kane

Canoe Surfing at Waikiki

josselinsshow_posteremail

Postcards from Hawaii Watercolor Heidi Malott

Heidi Malott

Postcards from Hawaii Watercolor Heidi Malott

WatercolorsandOils

Postcards from Hawaii Watercolor Heidi Malott Surfs Up

Vintage Hawaii Coast Palm Trees Beach Contemporary Impressionism

Surf Hawaii Diamond Head Waikiki Beach Honolulu Ohau

Palm Tree Painting Contemporary Impressionism Heidi Malott

Cafe Al Fresco Dining Contemporary Impressionism