Penny King - Carved Gourds
Palm Tree Pitcher Gourd
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Pitcher Gourd
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Penny King grew up in Southern California. From an early age Penny was steeped in the Hawaiian culture. She learned hula and danced at Lauaus from age eight to eleven. Penny made her first Hawaiian instrument, the Ipu (Hawaiian word for gourd) when she was nine. The Ipu is a musical instrument used by hula dancers by beating their hands on the gourd which makes an acoustical sound. As a child, Penny loved the culture, dance and music of the Hawaiian Islands. It was a very integral part of her inner being. Penny also spent many hours as a child drawing and painting. She even carved a Hawaiian tiki out of ivory soap and hung is around her neck. The love of art and Hawaii was very evident in her childhood.
Green Floral Canteen Gourd
As an adult Penny immersed herself in many various forms of art. She has done oil painting, silver-smithing, floral arranging, interior decorating, ceramic hand-building and sculpture, china paint, tie-die and shirt painting and watercolor. Penny had a ceramic jewelry business for five years in California. She specialized in custom ceramic jewelry for many of her customers. Upon leaving California and moving to Hawaii, she left all her ceramic supplies behind.
Whale Pitcher Gourd
When she arrived in Hawaii, Penny felt as if she was finally home, the place of her childhood desires and dreams. The music, dance and culture were already a deep part of her inner being. Penny knew she had to express her hoy and love of the Islands through art. She quickly learned the Ni'ihau art of gourd carving and found it to be the most satisfying of all the arts she had experienced. Penny now grows her own gourds and has been carving and depicting Hawaiian lifestyle on her gourds, watercolor paintings, floral collages and China paintings. Penny is a successful Resident Artist at the world renowned Kona Village Resort. You may view more of Penny's art at her website:
www.pennykingartists.com
HAWAII CRAFTSMEN IS SUPPORTED BY THE HAWAI’I STATE FOUNDATION ON CULTURE AND THE ARTS, THE HAWAII COMMUNITY FOUNDATION, THE ATHERTON FAMILY FOUNDATION, THE COOKE FOUNDATION, THE MCINERNY FOUNDATION, THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS, THE LAILA TWIGG-SMITH ART FUND, SEVERAL PRIVATE FAMILY FOUNDATIONS AND OUR MEMBERS
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