Hawaii—the destination of tourists, surfers, biologists, and volcanologists; the wonder of photographers, artists, and nature-lovers; the fellowship of 137 islands in the Pacific Ocean; and Earth’s most shining example of the beauty of the tropics—is the only US state that is structured solely out of Islands. Yet for all the space between its islands, the people of Hawaii have remained united in preserving the local culture, and in essence the Hawaii art, that has captured the hearts of romantics the world over.
When Captain James Cook first arrived with his crew, he dubbed the mass of small islands “the Sandwich Islands”. Although, it appears somewhat of a misnomer that Cook should make such a statement, it is quite possible that he was referring to the unifying culture—though the islands were spread out and diverse, the culture remained as one.
Hawaiians are particularly fond of art. In Cook’s day, Hawaii art consisted largely of wood carvings, rock carvings, feather work, and even tattoo art. Later, many of the westerners who were artists visited Hawaii and were captured by the simplicity of the land. They began to preserve their fondest memories of the beaches, the animals, and even the erupting volcanoes through Hawaiian paintings. Today, if you cannot make a trip to share in magic of Hawaii, there’s still a way to bring the magic to you through Hawaii art.
