T H E N A U P A K A C O L L E C T I O N

The theme for the Osaka Hawaii Fair 2024 was “Hawaiian mythology”. When I heard that I immediately thought of the Naupaka, a flower I’ve had in past paintings but never one I’ve made the main focus. I’ve always wanted to though, they grow all around my house, they’re beautiful and the story behind them is even more beautiful. There are two varieties of the Naupaka in Hawaii, one that grows near the sea that is called Naupaka Kahakai, the other that grows in the mountains called Naupaka Kauihiwa. Each flower looks like a flower torn in two, half of a blossom, and when placed together, they form a perfect flower 🫶 It is said that the flowers represent two forbidden lovers. In short, Naupaka was a girl of royalty, who fell in love with Kau’i, a fisherman. They were forbidden by Pele to be together. Brokenhearted, Naupaka took solace in the mountains and it was there she found a beautiful white flower. She tore the flower in half, discarding one set of petals. Meanwhile, Kau’i sought refuge by the sea and it was there that he stumbled upon a similar white flower, forever connecting the two.
These two paintings are separate but when they are put together, they make one. One has the mountains in it and the other the sea, connected by the Naupaka and a rainbow 🌈

Once I completed those two I painted several more Hawaii inspired paintings, including a Lei, Orchid flowers and a gorgeous mini series of tropical flowers mixed with wonderfully wonky rainbows. Prints of this collection can be found in the SHOP.