About the artist:

Born in Bellingham, Washington in 1947, she came to Hawaii in 1966. She was elected to the State Constitutional Convention in 1968, and the Hawaii state House of Representatives in 1970. After a narrow defeat in a Congressional bid, she returned to writing and painting – which she now considers her life. One of Hawaii’s best-selling artists, Diana Hansen-Young is well-known for her stylized acrylic and watercolor paintings of Hawaiian woman. Her soft pastel colors and warm earthtones combine with crisp, stylized design to produce gentle paintings of exotic women which have had broad, international appeal. There is an element of mystery in her women – and more: romance, nostalgia, sometimes a secret smile about their lips, or a hint of sadness in their direct, engaging eyes. Her large body of work hangs in international collections throughout the world; leading citizens of the U.S. and Canada have commissioned portraits. She has published posters, color prints, serigraphs, sepia prints, and even calendars, all of which have been commercially successful. A passionate horsewoman and breeder of Andalusians she lived for twenty years in Kailua on the island of Oahu with her husband, their two young girls, and teenage foster son. She moved to New York to attend NYU and moved to Paris, France where she know resides.