2023 Poster Artist

Mahina Hawley

Meet Mahina Hawley the 2023 Sequim Sunshine Festival Poster Artist

Mahina is an artist and professional portrait photographer who lives in Port Angeles with her husband and two young kids. She was born in rural Hawaii, where her name comes from, and raised in New Mexico, where she studied oil painting. She is a newcomer to the Olympic Peninsula, but feels at home nestled between the mountains and the water. In addition to painting and taking portraits, she also works part-time as an outdoor educator and is passionate about connecting children with nature. More information about her portrait photography can be found at mahinahawley.com.

In this painting, Mahina was inspired by images of outer space and our amazing, life-giving planet. The sun is turning the Earth toward itself with a smile and highlighting Sequim with a tiny star. Our solar system is represented, along with countless stars. On the bottom, a hand is thrown up, spreading colors to swirl with the stars as a nod to the Sunshine Festival's Color Run. She loves what the Sunshine Festival represents - a celebration of the sun, light, and renewal at a time when we need it the most - and she hopes this painting captures part of the magic in the world around us.

Sequim Sunshine Festival Poster Art