My name is Lahaina Limaco, a self-taught artist based in Pukekohe, Auckland. I am qualified as a Garment Pattern maker, with a BA in Fashion Design, but I express myself through visual art and creative prose. What I want to express in my work is the dark humour we can have in anxiousness. I hope viewers can relate as they observe my pieces.
I am a self-taught painter and illustrator, and work with a variation of mediums and disciplines. I see the practicing art as an extension of my identity and use drawing and poetry as a way of dissecting what I don’t understand.
From a young age I grew up with art influences but instead of pursuing further studies in art, I pursued garment making and fashion design. The education I received moulded my world views and how I see people.
Other side projects I have ventured into are small animation projects, fashion showrooms and fashion presentations.
After experiencing a personal burnout while working in the Fashion industry, I worked in manual labour and fast food which is where I was when the pandemic came. At which point I re-evaluated what I truly wanted to pursue and have spent the last year building my small business - an online shop where I can make and adjust clothes from my small garage space while painting and making art as often as I can.
The subjects I draw are imaginary people, coming from my interest in the human face and its imperfections. Most of the faces in my work are expressing discomfort that comes from anxiety, a feeling we all experience - I have been trying to achieve that feeling through art and embody it in my work.
My objective is to journal personal expressions through art, by the use of visual mediums and other mediums of art such as poetry and also garment making. These technical skills and design studies has contributed to the perspective of my creative processes, human behaviour relating to self-expression, and a deep appreciation to the engineering side that marries passion for art.