Palisadian Launches Portraiture Series in Honor of Hawaiian Roots

By EVE KAPLAN | Intern

Palisadian Artist Vonnie Brenno Cameron ventured to Moloka‘i in search of her Hawaiian “ohana” in 2019, when she had the idea to meet with natives, hear their stories and possibly paint their portraits. With the help of a Moloka‘i educator, she has been able to bring the project to fruition.

Before landing in Pacific Palisades, the Marquez Knolls resident was born in Japan, raised in Hawaii and bounced from Los Angeles to New York City, Dallas and New Mexico.

She said she began creating art at a very young age.

“I grew up in Hawaii and I was at an early age sent to summer classes at the Honolulu Summer Academy of Arts,” she said to the Palisadian-Post. “I studied art my whole life.”

Cameron said she was “given a gift.”

“I was always drawing and I always had this ability,” Cameron said about her relationship to art. “It’s a big gift that was given to me, it’s important to give back, to use it, to not just let it go to waste.”

She recalled working on portraits since she was young, doing portraits for students at her high school carnival.

“No caricatures but portraits, people would come and sit and I would do a quick sketch of them,” she said.

When traveling to Hawaii, she recalled visiting the galleries in hotels and the art looking the same, appealing to tourists with “colorful … iconic images of Hawaiians with flowers in their hair and leis.”
She used this as a point of motivation to “paint the Hawaiians using [her] gift … giving them some seriousness.”

“I had this vision of taking my art and using the gift to paint the elders, the people in Hawaii who are keeping the culture alive,” Cameron explained. “And to do this in a way that isn’t touristy.”

She went on to meet with and paint portraits of Molokaʻi kūpuna, who are keeping Hawaiian cultural traditions alive. She said she spent four years on the project and ended up completing 14 portraits. The project premiered on May 31.

“These portraits depict the kūpuna in their environment and powerfully capture in perpetuity their moʻolelos—stories, primarily of ʻāina momona and resilience,” according to the gallery’s website. “Molokaʻi natives Maile and Hanohano Naehu partnered with Vonnie to help bring her vision to life and make introductions to the larger Molokaʻi community.”

The project is on display as a virtual gallery exhibit, which features the completed portraits, behind-the-scenes photos of the individuals and videos of their conversations with Cameron.

“These videos capture in perpetuity the kūpuna moʻolelo—the deep knowledge, values and lessons which they hold, primarily of ʻāina momona and resilience,” according to the gallery. “These videos will serve as a catalyst for discussion and connection with one another about Molokaiʻs legacy of … Hawaiian culture and traditions and the importance of carrying on the knowledge, values and practices for future generations.”

“When you paint somebody, when you paint their image, it’s like giving them a legacy … and so, there’s a real responsibility from my part, commitment and responsibility to … try and capture who their essence is,” Cameron said in one of the videos. “What really is very moving and special to me of course is that my Hawaiian ohana are from Moloka‘i so it felt … like something coming full circle to me.”

To view the virtual gallery, visit huiokuapa.org/hulukupuna-gallery.