About Linda Rowell Stevens
Linda Rowell Stevens was born in Utah. Her family moved to Connecticut and then Virginia where she attended college at Virginia Commonwealth University. Linda moved to Hawai’i in 1972 at the age of 21. In 1978 her son Nahele Kanoa Hillery was born. She married her second husband, Larry E. Stevens in 1987.Their home is in the beautiful rainforest of Pahoa on the Big Island of Hawai’i.
For many years Linda was an award winning Doll Artist. Her dolls were shown with the Leo Moss Society and displayed at the William Grant Still museum in Los Angeles. Among
her more important dolls were meticulous representations of King David Kalakaua, Princess Kaiulani and Queen Lili’uokalani, all now in private collections. On the Islands, Linda has been a participant in several shows, winning first place for one of her early paintings . Linda was a long standing member of the Pacific Handcrafters Guild and her work was included in Hawai’i Craftsmen displays. Her diverse talents of painting, sculpture, fashion design, jewelry, ceramics and glass were showcased in several one woman shows.
Linda says" There belongs to Hawai'i wonderful myths and legends, complex and immensely fascinating. Much like the more known Greek myths, there are Gods and Goddesses, heroes and villains at the center of the stories.
Many books have been written that retell these stories, Our Own Hawaiian Majesty, King David Kalakaua (1836-1891) wrote such a book: “The Legends and Myths of Hawai'i”. This book is beautifully written with stories and images that have greatly inspired me.
It is not the myths and legends alone that inspire my oil painting. It is the aina, the land, it is living here for most of my life. This Hawaiian land is at the core of my soul. It is the love that has greeted me through the eyes of the people who live here. It is the hope for their heritage, the reverence of their past.
I want my work to say… don’t let it slip away........
May there forever be proud people who believe in who they really are. If in any way I can help to show how they shine, through my work, then I am content."
Linda researched for her artist doll representation of King David Kalakaua. In doing so, her love and respect for him drew her to read his book “The Legends & Myths Of Hawai’i”. Her focus shifted to painting in 1998 after reading the book “Painting Techniques of the Masters”. Linda found that the methods used long ago gave her work the results she desired. Linda is now recognized for her reverential paintings of Hawaiian themes
Hand-Crafted
by Linda Rowell Stevenss
