Thursday, September 30, 2010

Lehua Blossoms

According to Hawaiian legend, the goddess Pele fell in love with Ohia, a handsome warrior. He, however, was in love with a beautiful maiden, Lehua. Angered by this, Pele used her magical powers to transform Lehua into an Ohia tree. Other gods took pity on Lehua and turned her into a beautiful red Lehua blossom. Because of this, Lehua and Ohia could be together forever. (Lehua blossoms do grow on Ohia trees and usually are a crimson red hue.) This blossom does not really have petals that we are usually accustomed to seeing, but resemble slender red needles. This is my illustration of the Lehua that was first created using Illustrator and then made into a magnesium plate.