Description
In a time of crisis, loss, or vulnerability the one thing that provides me comfort is an embrace from a loved one. After the Maui 2023 fires caused so much loss and devastation, I wanted to paint an image portraying that loss, but also one of hope and support. This oil painting has the Hawaiian word, “IMUA” along with its meaning written in the first layer of paint. I used my imagination to form the images of the figures embracing with a suggestion of a third entity embracing both figures. If you look carefully there are several birds abstractly included in this painting. Birds represent freedom for the lives lost, and to remind us that our ancestors are with us in spirit. I used color and abstraction to portray a feeling rather than a subject.