Inspiration of Hanohano
Finding the balance between illustrating different subjects has always been a difficult one for me. Yes, we love lei flower and illustrating lei - but most times our favorite lei end up being ones made with non-endemic plants. Nothing against them, because there is nothing wrong with our favorites like Puakenikeni, but our endemic plants do deserve the spotlight too. Luckily ‘Okakopa has turned into a month where I get a little extra challenge with creating our monthly calendar because over the last few years, ʻīlima has been our focus subject. This isnʻt something that I planned but rather it happened quite naturally. This month is often associated buy the masses with fall and pumpkins, but for me I wanted to find a way to creatively occupy the fall feel with our endemic plants and ‘īlima perfectly worked for what I had in mind.
Enter hanohano - she is a visual representation of finding the balance between loving on our endemic plants as well as one of our hui favorites.- pīkake. She is also a reflection of my growth as an artist because I think of all the ‘īlima Iʻve drawn - Iʻm most proud of how she’s turned out. If you love ʻīlima, please find our 2022 ‘okakopa download below!
