Meet Jalen

Meet Jalen Muraoka, the artist behind Jalen Art. Jalen welcomed us into her home studio to get a behind the scenes look at one of her most recent projects: ʻNā Lei Ekoluʻ, a colored pencil piece of lei made by lei maker Dillyn Lietzke of PALAI.

01. Can you tell us a little about yourself—where you're from and what your creative journey has looked like so far?

"My name is Jalen Muraoka, and I grew up in Kāneʻohe, where I still live today. I’ve always loved drawing. In high school, I took a few drawing and painting electives that started to solidify my love for art. The classes were open ended and they encouraged us to experiment with different techniques, which gave me the space to explore what I liked and what worked for me. One lesson that really stuck with me was to “paint what you see,” not what you think something is supposed to look like. Today, I primarily work with acrylic paints and colored pencils, but I also love exploring other creative projects like crochet, sewing, ceramics, making lei, and designing digital seamless patterns. I always have some kind of creative project I’m working on that I can’t wait to get back to after work."

02. How do you find balance in your life? 

"I sometimes have a hard time balancing everything. I work full-time as a civil engineer, which can be demanding and keeps my brain busy most of the day. After work, it can be hard to get myself to start a new painting or make progress on one that I’ve been staring at for a while. Not to mention spending time with friends and family, staying active, and keeping up with errands and chores. I’ve been trying to be more intentional with how I spend my time and more accepting of the fact that I can’t always do it all. Some nights I’ll paint until midnight after work just because I’m really excited about a piece, and other times I won’t touch a brush for weeks. I'm learning to be okay with inconsistency and giving myself grace when I can’t do everything. For me, balance is less about sticking to a perfect routine and more about making time for what matters when I can."

03. What do you draw inspiration from when creating your art?

"I draw a lot of inspiration from the beauty, colors, and culture of Hawaii that I grew up surrounded by. I find myself constantly painting flowers/plants, the ocean, or mountains.With flowers, I’m drawn to the rich colors and contrast they create against deep green leaves. They’re so eye-catching and I love trying to capture their delicateness and textures.The ocean is another big inspiration for me. I love all the different shades of blue that are harder to find in flowers or mountains, and I really enjoy painting the power of big waves and surf. There's such variety in how the water moves, even on the same wave. You can have glassy surfaces next to rough, choppy ones and I love trying to incorporate both into my work.Finally, the mountains have always been a huge source of inspiration. Growing up in Kaneohe, every day I look out my window to check how the light hits the ridges or how the clouds hug them and waterfalls stream down. I am always so amazed at just how giant they are and how the sun casts these huge shadows and highlights their contours."

04. Is there anyone that has influenced your journey both as an artist and individual?

"My parents have had the biggest influence on me. My dad passed away when I was really little, but he was an amazing artist and we still have a lot of his drawings hanging around the house. Even though he didn’t get the chance to really teach me how to draw or paint, I feel like a lot of my inspiration and artistic instincts come from him. Throughout my life, my mom and stepdad have taught me so much and always supported me in everything I do. They’ve made the biggest impact on who I am, as a person and artist, and I am so grateful for them."

05. Can you share a bit about your creative process for this project? What was your favorite part?  Were there any challenges?

"The way each lei is arranged with such care really made it easy for me to just piece them together to use as a reference. When it came to the actual drawing process, my favorite part was working on all the different textures of the greenery. There are so many intricate textures and slight shifts in green that make every element stand out, so seeing it all come together in the final piece was really satisfying. However, working with so many green hues was also one of the biggest challenges. It pushed me to get creative with layering and blending to capture the depth and variation I was aiming for."

06. Do you have any dream projects you hope to work on in the future?

"Right now, I’m still exploring different possibilities for future projects, but one idea I’ve been excited about is collaborating with a brand or small business that aligns with my style. I’ve been experimenting with seamless surface patterns, starting with some Hawaii-inspired prints on Spoonflower and posting some exclusive designs for sale on my Instagram. I’d love to see my work used in real-world products, but I’m also open to any creative opportunities that come my way."

07. When youʻre not creating art or working, where can we find you?

"When I’m not working or creating art, you’ll usually find me at the beach with friends, working on my golf game, or trying to improve my (minimal) surfing skills. I really value quality time with good people. Whether we’re being active or just relaxing, it’s those shared moments that bring me the most joy and keep me feeling grounded."