The Gallery

Reflections of Hawai’i: Hugh Jenkins and Stephanie Ross

We live on an island with very diverse environments and as artists we find our inspiration surrounding us: from the cooling waters at the foot of a waterfall,  the spray on the rocks at the beach, or the fiery volcanic flows to the sea and through our native forests. We capture the quiet reflective times when walking in a forest or strolling along a deserted beach.

For this show we have chosen to present both traditional and nontraditional forms. In looking at our art you will see the inspiration from nature. Our traditional vases and calabash shapes reflect and express the passion we have for the diverse cultural life we have here in Hawai’i.

Our newest work is a series we call ‘Pohaku’, the Hawaiian word for rock or stone. The Pohaku series began as an idea and a series of drawings in 2003. We started the actual pieces in December 2009 as an exploration of rock shapes and their asymmetric form, then moved on to the relationship of the pohaku in their various environments. The reflective quality of the glass, along with the notion of reflective surfaces of water began to draw us into the next phase. We played with the idea of aniani, which means the condition of water so still that everything beneath the surface is absolutely clear, and, that it also reflects back on the surface whatever is in the surroundings, the perfect transmitting and reflective surface. We are trying to express the concept of aniani within the glass pieces we make. We want them to both show certain qualities beneath the surface and seem to reflect what might be found in a natural situation. Our next exploration takes us to the lava and the idea of the glass vessel reflecting our interpretation of the majestic, all encompassing black shimmer, steam, and life force of lava, the source of all rock that forms our islands.