Dietrich Varez

Dietrich Varez (28 March 1939 – 14 August 2018 ) was an iconoclastic printmaker-painter. His work is among the most widely recognized of any artist in Hawaii. A long-time resident of the Big Island, he is known primarily for scenes of Hawaiian mythology and of traditional Hawaiian life and stylized designs from nature.

Early life Varez was born in Berlin, Germany, at the start of World War II. His father was Friedrich Donat, an architect and engineer of Lithuanian heritage, whom Varez has said was a Nazi who worked on military construction. His mother, Ursula, was a Polish-Swedish translator of English. As the war ended, Varez's father left his family to fend for themselves and he went into hiding from occupation forces, a period Varez has said was "pure misery". Ursula divorced Donat in 1947. In 1948, she married U.S. Army Sgt. Manuel Varez, who adopted her sons, Dietrich and Christian, and brought the family to his home in Oahu, Hawaii. The subject matter in most of Varez's work is inspired by traditional Hawaiian legends, integrating mythological figures in scenes with flora and fauna typical of the diverse Hawaiian environment. His work is informed by graphic interpretations of traditional Polynesian designs, as seen, for instance, in Hawaiian quilts, and is especially rich in imagery from the Hawaiian rainforest. However, Varez has stated that he actively avoids other art that might influence the unmediated nature of his vision. and also the renowned battleship USS Missouri (BB-63), berthed at Pearl Harbor, the U.S. Naval base on Oahu. His work is widely known through books that he has illustrated, and, in some cases, written, including: Lehua: A Legend of Old Hawaii (Island Heritage Publishers) Hina the Goddess (Petroglyph Press, Hilo) Pele and Hi'iaka, A Tale of Two Sisters (Petroglyph Press, Hilo) Pele: The Fire Goddess with Pua Kanaka'Ole Kanahele (Bishop Museum Press) Maui the Demigod, by Steven Goldsberry (Bishop Museum Press) Maui: The Mischief Maker with Lilikala Kame Eleihiwa (Bishop Museum Press) The Water of Life—A Jungian Journey Through Hawaiian Myth with Rita Knipe Hawaiian-Japanese Dictionary (Nishizawa) Kamapua'a, by John Charlot 'Olelo No'eau: Hawaiian Proverbs & Poetical Sayings, by Mary Kawena Pukui The Legend of La'ieikawai with Martha Warren Beckwith The Law of the Splintered Paddle: Kanawai Mamalahoe by Carol Chang A Pocket Guide to the Hawaiian Language by Albert J. Schutz

Varez has also adapted prints to fabric for a line of Hawaiian shirts with clothing maker Reyn Spooner,

Contrary to the usual practice among printmakers, he refuses to limit his editions, printing until a block is exhausted. He dates his prints according to when the print was struck, not, as is customary, when the block was carved. These individualistic practices may have limited the value of his work to collectors, but Varez has said he is committed to staying outside the artificial boundaries of art world conventions. "The printmaking business needs some new blood and new traditions", he has been quoted as saying.