An Emmy-nominated makeup artist who uses cosmetics to illuminate her paintings will be exhibiting her work at the 30th Made in Hawaiʻi Festival this weekend.
Danielle Rush, 41, spent two decades perfecting her craft as a Hollywood make-up artist. She’s worked with celebrities like American Idol’s Iam Tongi, actor Kiefer Sutherland, talk show host Vanessa Lachey and more.
Courtesy of Danielle Rush
Rush said she will have several of her illuminated art originals on display. She takes landscape photos and then prints them on a canvas. Then she mixes make-up with clear acrylic paint to use it on the canvas.
“When the light hits the make-up, it illuminates, which is why it’s called illuminated art. They came to life,” she said.
Rush moved to Hawaiʻi five years ago when her husband got a job for the TV show Magnum P.I.
Although she loved her time in Los Angeles, Rush said it limited her time with her family.
“Once I became a mom, it was really hard to go to work and not be with my kids,” she said.
Rush said it brings her joy to customize a painting and capture the light that a camera wouldn’t normally catch.
“I started just with a very simple sparkle with my artwork, and now I create a lot of texture, a three-dimensional aspect to it,” she said. “You can actually feel the texture coming off the canvas.”
The festival will be held from Aug. 23 to Aug. 25 at the Hawaiʻi Convention Center. General admission costs $8 and it’s free for children.
To purchase tickets, click here.
