Dreamy Hawaiian Floral
9 x 12 inches
Oil on Wood Panel
These are all flowers that were here long before humans found the remote beauty of Hawaiʻi.
On the left is the vivid magenta flower stalk of the rare and gorgeous Lobelia gaudichaudii plant which grows only in high in the mountains of Oʻahu. In the center, peach-colored ‘ie’ie (freycinetia arbora), is the focal point. It is a high elevation vine that climbs the massive trees and cliffsides spreading bursts of long, thin leaves along a robust woody vine. Below that, the delicate yellow flowers of ʻilima, (Sida fallax) are the official flower of Oʻahu (every island has a special flower or lei material as a symbol on lei day). Yellow ʻilima grows from the beaches up to the mountains and makes a wonderful landscape plant! ʻŌhiʻa, the flowering tree which is among the first to grow forth from the barren lava, is just to the right of the ʻieʻie. I chose the rare orange ohia blossom to continue the orange tones. ʻŌhai (Sesbania tomentosa), a beautiful vine with flowers that remind me a little of sweet pea, is in the bottom right corner.
Thanks to Nate Yuen of HawaiianForest.com for his posts on his blog and Facebook that have taught me so much about these flowers, and to Kim and Forest Starr, for inspiration photos.