aloha pehea ʻoe! My work is based on my childhood, specifically Sunday afternoons/nights where my adopted and biological family gathered together at my grandparents house for dinner, long conversations, and hula dancing to music which my family had played on Hawaiian instruments. Themes of family, home and faith are central to my work.

 

My current illustrations have a dream-like short story format. For instance in “Sunday”, the story follows a little girl who wakes up in a foreign but familiar field, and being led by a glowing orb back to a familiar house, and ending up in the backyard where there is a never-ending family get together. Through Sunday dinners with my family, my faith as a Christian grew stronger, and I came to feel that God had woven my adopted and biological families together through both culture and spirituality.

 

My goals as an artist are to showcase my ability and skills as an illustrative artist and storyteller by expressing comforting childhood experiences. I always seek opportunities to dive deeper into, and share personal stories (with whimsy and faith based influences) through illustrative exploration. The stories I tell are ones that I am very proud to share and have created from start to finish.

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