Orme, Harinani

Honolulu-born Harinani Orme is truly following her ancestral path. She was adopted in infancy and always felt she was Hawaiian on some level. When she moved back to Hawai`i from the mainland in 2004, she felt a deep need to find her roots. Her search for her original birth certificate revealed that her intuition was indeed correct; she is part Hawaiian.
Now Harinani is on a quest to learn everything she possibly can about her Hawaiian culture. That’s what sent her to the Bishop Museum Library and Archives, where she unearthed the legends and stories of old Hawai`i that have inspired the impressive and every-growing body of work.
Harinani earned a BFA in printmaking at the University of Hawai`i and an MFA in printmaking and painting at Pratt Institute in New York. Her background as a printmaker is clearly evident in these paintings, with strong graphics that fittingly dramatize the provocative Hawaiian myths and legends she has chosen to portray. Her experience as an art educator in Hilo and Santa Barbara Museum of Art and Santa Barbara City College is apparent in the text that accompanies them.
Harinani has furthered her studies at Isomata in Idyllwild, California, the Vermont Studio School, and Missley Studios in Brooklyn. Her work has been included in numerous juried art exhibitions encompassing a range of art media, and she has received a number of awards, honors, and commissions.