Highlights
Handpicked by DianaHansenYoung
Vintage
Materials: Surface: Stretched canvas
Width: 40 inches
Height: 30 inches
Depth: 1 inches
 
About this item
This is the original, one-of-a-kind acrylic painting, 30" x 40", on canvas, that was published as a print, in calendars, and on cards."Ho'olaulea" means a celebration, or festival, in Hawaiian. The inspiration for this painting came from a Ho'olaulea I attended in California. It was packed with enthusiastic and homesick Hawaiians, different hula halaus - some from Hawaii, some from the mainland - soaking in plate lunches, flower leis, Hawaiian music, and dancing, both hula kahiko (ancient hula) and hula 'auana (modern hula). There was a group of young women who had already danced, standing on the sidelines, watching other dances. I was struck by the hapa-haole mix of all the races that make up today's Hawaiian woman: Hawaiian, Chinese, Japanese, haole, Filipino, Samoan. I took a photograph, and decided to do a painting of the group of women.

Sometimes I do multiples (all originals) of the same subject, because a particular image becomes my favorite for awhile. But "Ho'olaulea" was what I think of as a "high-anxiety" painting: seven women, and if I six beautifully, and the seventh was wrong, wrong, wrong - all was for naught. My style of doing the faces comprises a number of washes, with the white of the canvas showing through the washes to create the highlights; I do not use white on the faces. They can't be painted over. . . thus, the more women I finished, the 'mo' pressure' was on.

It is called a "published original" because prints, posters, cards, and calendars were created from this one of a kind image. You can take pride in the fact that there is only one, it is a very well-known painting, and you own it. This can be hung as is, or framed (no glass). I would create a heavy chipboard/wood box and ship flat, so the shipping is a bit more than usual.

If you enjoy the image, but can't afford the published original, I offer a print and giclee of this image also in this Etsy shop. Enjoy, and Aloha.