artist statement: Divine Creation and Destruction
Divine Creation and Destruction on 24×12 stretched canvas. 2024.
“Such power is creation, such power is destruction, such tragedy is harnessing both.”
This painting was an homage to my upbringing in Hawaii. Growing up, I learned about the mythology of Hawaiian gods and goddesses, and I was so in love with nature as a child. I wanted a painting to honor that, in my own form of a goddess. I wanted to create my own version of “Pele” the Hawaiian goddess of volcanoes, having the ability to form volcanoes with lava flowing down burning everything in its path but she also has the ability to grow beautiful plants and flowers. For a goddess of such power to both create and destroy nature, I had to paint her in a way where she has to silently deal with the pain and contempt of controlling both, as these two powers seem to contradict each other. In a way, the painting represents parts of myself. I have the ability to create and foster beautiful walks of life, plant seeds, birth a child, and create beautiful art, but I also have the ability to destroy. I could destroy myself, destroy everything I have created and painted and even hurt others as well. The pain of having both of these dark and light parts of myself can tend to be overwhelming, since I still tend to do some self-destructive habits. Over time, I’ve learned to stop hating myself for going back to these habits, soon enough the self destructive habits seemed to fade, and I realize now the path to self love is a continuous non-linear practice.
