ARTIST STATEMENT: MADOLIN MAXEY

PACIFIC

I have been criss-crossing the Pacific Ocean since 1995, visiting Japan, Hawaii, and California.

This recent body of work shows a more intimate knowledge of the people, places, and stories of these cultures. The past year Martin and I spent a cold, damp late winter through early spring in Japan. The trees were pruned back to fists and the brides were bound to tradition.

I returned several times to the California coast and the hot, windy trails of Torrey Pines Reserve. But Hawaii took my heart this time – and the stories of the people. I never grow bored with the spectacular colors, from flora to clothing to skin. All the small monotypes in this show are signed “Nuku”, since I seem driven to accept the pseudonym Humuhumunukunukuapua’a, a small, bright, and famous fish of Hawaii.