Portfolio
‘Un Sospiro’, oil on board, 30.5 x 91.5 cm, in progress
‘Green Tide’, oil on canvas, 95.5 x 130 cm, 2021
‘Lapaki’, oil on canvas, 60 x 100 cm, in progress
‘Cloud Oracle’, oil on canvas, 106 x 135 cm, in progress
Drawn from a film which was shot c. 1940 in Hawaii. The main figure is based on my aunt Pearl, who was ten years old at the time. This was shortly before the bombing of Pearl Harbor took place and her parents were sent to an internment camp for Japanese immigrants. A fascinating and tragic story unfolds from here, and working with imagery from the time helps me to imagine the hidden narratives running alongside major historic events.
‘Ilima Pikake’, oil on canvas, 100.5 x 161.5 cm, in progress
This painting alludes to the little known story of Ka’iulani, heir to the Hawaiian throne, who travelled to the UK as a teenager to study. During this time, while living in (what is now my adopted home) Brighton & Hove, American mercenaries overthrew Queen Liliuokalani, her aunt. The figures and architectural forms draw on photographic portraits of the princess, Queen and buildings in Hawaii and the UK.