Hale Pai
Pacific American-News Journal
Kepakemapa - September 1996 Volume 2 Issue 9
MAUI'S TURNING BACK THE SKY
Hale Naua III
Society of Hawaiian Arts
Meet the Artists
Rocky Ka`iouliokahihikolo`ehu Jensen
“The images for my art comes from the kupuna...I speak
for those who cannot speak.”
Descendant of Iwikauikaua, Rocky Jensen, sculptor and
historical illustrator is also founder and director of Hale Naua
III. He has mounted and participated in more than 125 fine art
exhibitions. In 1978, the first contemporary native Hawaiian art
exhibit was organized by Jensen at the Bernice Pauahi Bishop
Museum in Honolulu, introducing the contemporary form of native
Hawaiian expression into Hawai`i artistic consciousness.
Rocky serves as cultural advisor to numerous organizations,
lending meticulous native Hawaiian input. He has been a technical
advisor for major TV shows and documentaries, lecturer at fine
art museums & universities throughout the United States,
recipient & honoree of several regional and national awards
for his contributions to the cause of perpetuating the Native
Hawaiian Culture and arts. Along with his wife, Lucia, he has
co-authored and illustrated several cultural books.
Hinano K. Campton
“Art has been an obsession all of me life. I feel that
art is my life. Not only do I become physically and spiritually
involved with the act of painting itself, I become a part of the
image that slowly emerges from my creative consciousness.”
Hinano's full sacred name is Ke`alaonaonapuahinano, “The
Fragrant Blossom of the Pandanus”. Born in Honolulu, her
introduction to formal art training was at a summer class in
intaglio at the Honolulu Academy of Art. Thirty-five years later,
she completed a double major in Fine Arts and Women's Studies, at
the University of California, Santa Cruz. In addition to
painting, she is a writer and poet. Her works evoke images for
forgotten times; the dream songs and memories of her ancient
people.
Lucia Tarallo-Jensen
“...privileged to be part of a growing contemporary
native art movement---thousands of magnificent pieces have passed
through my hands, have communed with hundreds of hearts.”
Coordinator and co-founder of Hale Naua III, has been the
curator for this exhibit, as well as for over 100 similar fine
arts presentations. She is a lecturer in Hawaiian history &
philosophy and an author & / or co-author of “Men of
Ancient Hawai`i, “Lord of the Forest”,
“Wan`ao”, “Born the Night of the Gods”, as
well as countless newspaper & magazine articles which
emphasize meticulous research in esoteric Polynesian lore.
Ke`alaonaonapuahinano Campton
“Empowered by the life force of the `aina and the mana
that generates inner strength. Art has been the essence of my
lifelong moe`uhane, dreams.”
Born in San Francisco and raised in Palo Alto, California,
Ke`ala now resides in the land of her Ancestors. A graduate of
Cabrillo College, Aptos, California and the University of
California, Davis, she successfully blends her western training
with her Hawaiian soul. Ke`ala uses mixed media to incorporate
traditional with contemporary design. The theme of her work
usually involves the defining of cultural metaphor.
Lalepa Pi`ikoi Ah Sam
“...to perpetuate my people's story through the
arts.”
Raised in Waimea, Hawai`i, Lalepa is a descendant of the
Cummins Family of O`ahu and the Pi`ikoi Clan of Kaua`i. Without a
formal education in art, he has mastered the use of watercolors
and pen & ink. Using historical research as a foundation,
Lalepa unravels the myths of his people and by doing this, he is
successful in capturing the power and emotion of Hawai`i's past.
Commissioned in the United States Air Force in 1983, gaining his
Navigator's wings in 1984, he currently serves as a Captain,
flying reconnaissance missions throughout the world.
Telford Kahu Cazimero
“Myths and Legends contain the most potent abstract
concepts embodied in the Hawaiian mind concerning ideas in
sciences, observing constellations, navigating world oceans,
natural medicine, etc. This has inspired in my work a sense of
respect for the forces in nature.”
A native of Honolulu, Telford has received a Hallmark Award
for art, two National Gold Key Awards and a National Scholastic
Award for Achievement in Art. Since his late teens, he has shown
with Hale Naua and solely at the Honolulu Hale, the Prince Kuhio
Federal Bldg. Gallery, the Amfac Exhibition Plaza, Ramsay's
Gallery, and Kapi`olani Community College. Telford is at present
also part of a national group tour entitled “Reflecting
Native Realities”, singled out for specific acclaim. His
fine pencils, inks and litho prints can be found in collections
throughout the state.
Christie Kaleo Gonzales
“ I have had the privilege of learning other cultures,
which led me to then appreciate the individuality and uniqueness
of my own people and the art that they created so long ago.”
Tracing her ancestry back to Waimea, Kaua`i, a daughter of the
Makua`ole Clan and the Hina Clan of Ni`ihau, Christie has, for
the past eleven years, lived and studied away from the islands,
in Colorado and California. As a graphic illustrator, she has
worked to introduce the symbolisms that communicate and represent
her native culture. At present she is pursing a degree in art,
also taking an active part in educating herself with her people's
traditions and overall culture.
Natalie Mahina Jensen
“My photographs reveal the intricacies of my cultural
heritage. They bring forth the diverse lifestyle of the kanaka
maoli, aspects that people are often ignorant of.”
Mahinaokalani`ehukapuaoka`iouli, born and raised on O`ahu, was
trained since childhood in her native Hawaiian artform by her
father Rocky Ka`iouliokahihikolo`ehu Jensen and her mother Lucia
Tarallo-Jensen, later specializing in creating the kahili (royal
feather standard). Her first art exhibit, with Hala Naua III, was
at the age of 14 and by age 18, had been commissioned by
corporate, public, and private establishments.
Throughout her formal education, Natalie majored in art and
photography, winning many state-wide competitions. After
completing her studies, Natalie conceived her own company, Sister
Moon Productions. Her Hawaiian Heritage Posters are exhibited in
fine shops and galleries throughout Hawai`i, California, and Las
Vegas.
Peggy Kala Hubacker
“As a native Hawaiian, I believe in the mana we
possess. In order to attain mana, one must constantly challenge
oneself. Art is a continuum of learning, experiencing, failing
and trying again. And with each new work one accumulates more
mana.”
Descendant of the famed 11th century navigator,
Kaulu-a-Kalana, Peggy Kala Hubacker formal training includes:
University of Hawai`i, the San Francisco Academy of Art, the de
Young Museum and the City College of San Francisco. Her art
dramatically displays the virant elemental qualities of nature.
She works in a variety of mediums, including oils, watercolors
and sculpture. Her imaginative use of wood, stone, bronze and
metal fabrication captures the essence of Hawaiian design and
story telling. Peggy has been a feature artist at the San
Francisco Academy of Arts, and has had her own shows in Hawai`i
and California. Her art is displayed in public and private
collections in Canada, Hawai`i and throughout the United States.
Leialoha Kanahele
“...blue -green mountains speak the language of the
kupuna, the elders. Each crag, each valley, each peak, named and
defined comes replete with history and legend of a place within
the spirit that never dies.”
Lahaina, Maui born, Leialoha is a descendant of High Chief
Kahekilinui`ahumanu and of high Priest Hewahewa. She received her
formal training at Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles and at
the Honolulu Academy of Arts. Her surreal landscapes of the
Ko`olau Mountains evoke the time-honored native traditions that
all thing have soul. Leialoha's paintings are in the collection
of the State Foundation on Culture & The Arts, and in
numerous corporate and private collections throughout the world.
Frank Jensen
“It is my desire to create and by so doing, perpetuate
the story of the heroes of my father's people. Ensconced within
those stories rests the value system which took them through
25,000 years of history.”
A graduate of Kamehameha High School, Frank received his early
art training at the hands of his father Rocky K. Jensen. His
meticulous pen and ink style has won him island-wide acclaim, his
Hawaiian historical and conceptual interpretations hanging in
corporate and private collections throughout the state.
Illustration books and articles, written by his mother, Lucia
Tarallo-Jensen, Frank has been encourage to start his own
company, Shadow Graphs, lending his knowledge of native Hawaiian
symbolism to the creation of illustrative, graphic and logo
design, which reflects the cultural language of his father's
people. Presently operates his own art studio in Grass Valley,
California.
Maiki
“...continuing my research of women's roles in the
Hawaiian culture.”
Maiki is a graduate of Kamehameha Schools and is currently
enrolled in the U.C. Berkeley Interior Design and Architecture
Program. Although, monotype printmaking has become Maiki's
preferred medium, she continues to experiment in all artistic
mediums available to her. An original member of Hale Naua III,
Maiki looks to depict art from the woman's perspective, thus
adding balance to the overall art produced. Meticulous
researcher, Maiki reintroduces the “yin” in explosive
colors and unique form.
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Copyright © 1996 Hale Pai Pacific American-News Journal
Last modified: February 28, 1998
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