LIHU‘E — Every brush stroke begins in prayer for North Shore artist and clothing designer Dondi Ho. “Painting is my time to be grateful,” she said. “I try to purposely look for gratefulness and beauty every day.” For the first
LIHU‘E — Every brush stroke begins in prayer for North Shore artist and clothing designer Dondi Ho.
“Painting is my time to be grateful,” she said. “I try to purposely look for gratefulness and beauty every day.”
For the first time, the celebrated clothing designer will exhibit a sampling of her botanically-inspired watercolor collection spanning the past 25 years. “Beauty has no Boundaries” opens at the Kaua‘i Museum with an artist’s reception from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. today and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. Her paintings are available in fine-art-print giclees.
Ho’s journey as a painter is one governed by grace and grounded in Hawaiian culture — with each piece an exploration of Hawaiian flowers and lei. The lei in particular invites speculation for this 35-year Kaua‘i resident and daughter of the late iconic musician Don Ho.
“Before painting, the question I always ask myself is ‘if I were to give you a lei, what lei would I give you?’” she said.
On the surface, her floral and lei designs are objects of beauty, but for Ho the face of a flower is an opportunity to express loftier ideals.
“Sometimes I’m invited to a place to find inspiration,” she said. “One painting was inspired by a place where there’d been a war between two Hawaiian chiefs.”
After researching different elements of healing in fragrance and flowers Ho painted “Healing Leis” as a tribute.
The effort and consideration required of the lei-maker inspires her.
“From the point of giving the lei, it is already in decline — it is so frail,” she said. “You are in the moment of this beautiful gift. That speaks to our culture — remember to delight in the moment and the people you are with.”
Ho attempts to capture these tiny moments to immortalize in pigment.
“Every painting chronicles my life,” she said.
After Hurricane ‘Iniki, Ho recalled how stark the island was with trees stripped of leaf and flower. She translated each returning bud as a symbol of hope.
“I began to paint them as they grew,” she said. “At that time I painted a series for my daughter titled, ‘My Kulia.’ It was so hopeful that the flowers were coming back.”
Ho refers to this collection as a testimony.
“For me the one word is ‘grateful.’ Every single piece is based in prayer. There’s love intertwined in my heart,” she said. “The life lesson painting has for me is to look for the beauty in every day. Life is difficulty and beauty. Mostly we study the hard thing. Take time to really look for the beauty.”
Ho’s watercolor paintings have been translated into limited-edition fabrics for design collections of summer dresses, contemporary mu‘umu‘u and corporate uniforms. Ho’s work is shown also at the St. Regis Princeville Resort.
Admission to the exhibit is free. Sign in with the receptionist for a chance to win a fine-art giclee from this exclusive collection. The Kaua‘i Museum is located at 4428 Rice St., Lihu‘e. For more information visit Dondiho.com or call the museum, 245-6931.
