Hula Palms, 2002

I remember the Kodak Hula show in Honolulu in the late 60s when there were ti leaf bedecked hula dancers in Kapiolani Park dancing for visitors. I was reminded of them while doing this painting.

In every hotel area throughout the state you will see the palm trees neatly trimmed of their lower palm fronds. The insurance companies require this to eliminate the hazard of falling palm debris.

On my last trip to Molokai I came across these lovely old Hawaiian palm trees that hadn't had their lower skirts trimmed off. The palms' fronds swayed with the breeze like a ti leaf hula skirt. From an artist's perspective, the lower fronds contain the most interesting colors, dropping into yellows and oranges as they descend downward. It's a rare sight to see these days.