About Sändra Edwards
Biography
Sändra Edwards was raised in Hawaii to a kamaaina plantation family with generations of roots on Kauai and Oahu. Now an upcountry Maui artist, she maintains her studio in Kula focusing on oil paintings, hand-crafted jewelry, and more.
Before graduating from Kapiolani Community College in 2000 with her Associates Degree focused on painting under the tutelage of Professor Noreen Naughton, she apprenticed in the studio of Louis Pohl. For 3 years he constantly reminded her, “I’m not your teacher,” exemplifying the role of the artist-as-genius rather than indoctrinating her into an academic pedagogy.
Degree in hand, Sändra pursued a full-time career as a jewelry artist with exclusive contracts for museum stores across the Islands and as far away as San Francisco and Sweden. She is currently filling her studio with fresh canvases and long-envisioned jewelry pieces. To purchase her work, please visit the Honolulu Museum of Art.
Artist’s Statement
Drawing and painting have always been a part of my life, and as long as I can remember, art has been the essential constant. Like breathing, it connects me to my core as a profoundly spiritual and fundamental act. Like home, it’s where I find my self.
My practice has always been about the deeper spiritual essences of the items we observe. Not just a visual document, each painting, sculpture, or drawing reveals and resonates another realm of meaning. They ignite recognition and connection within the viewer. Each colorful mark not only delineates a space or a form, but also is enlivened by and imbued with the energy of human touch.
The dialog I hope to engage with people via my paintings is a responsibility I take seriously because the place where a work ends, where a new space is created to see the world afresh, is where connection begins.
Contact
Please email me here.