Artist Spotlight: Cailin Wailani
Folsom History is interested in artists because they are part of Folsom’s story. Artists capture the character of a community, reflect on the world around them, and help shape how people see and remember a place. By connecting with local artists and their work, Folsom History can preserve another part of our community’s cultural history. This also connects to the study of art history, which explores how artwork reflects the people, ideas, and events of its time. In that sense, Folsom’s artists are not just creators, they are historical storytellers.
Hawaiian Honey, on view until September 10, 2026, at the Gallery at 48 Natoma in Folsom, is artist Cailin Wailani’s recent oil works celebrating the beauty of the Kanaka wahine through Wailani’s surrealist amalgamation. She started her painting practice in 2020 and has been focused on oil for the past five years. Wailani’s work has always been through a surrealist interpretation. She is more interested in cultivating a story through color and light than realistically replicating her reference photos. This allows viewers to understand her connection to her subjects and how she views the world within. The works showcased in the exhibition are from a body of work developed over six months.
Wailani worked with the curator at the Gallery at 48 Natoma to develop an exhibition highlighting Hawaiian culture. The women showcased in each work are from a reference photo Wailani collected from her mother’s Hālau group in Sacramento, Ka Waikahe Lani Malie. This was an important piece of the exhibition, as she wanted to incorporate her personal connection to her culture into her work. Collecting personal references also allowed Wailani to focus on incorporating movement into her work.
Untitled 3. Oil on canvas, depicts two dancers in a dreamy blue landscape with pink plants in the foreground, creating a depth between the dancers and us. The colors develop a peaceful tone that draws your attention to the dancers. The dancers' movements shine through in the painting as their arms and faces are the only detailed portions, leaving the rest for the viewer to create. One element of Wailani’s work that shifts her work into these dreamy, surrealist settings is her use of color and lighting. She outlines the dancers’ torsos with fine, bright lines, while their clothing matches the background, highlighting their spiritual connection to the environment. This artistic decision shifts the purpose from portraiture to showcasing the beauty and spirit of Hālau in each painting.
Untitled 1. Oil on canvas, highlights two dancers sitting in a deep plum setting, lit from underneath. Wailani uses the outlining technique in this painting as well, through the folds of the clothes and ruffles to show them sitting. The gold jewelry the dancers wear highlights a significant part of Hawaiian culture. Hawaiian gold bracelets are rites of passage through milestones and are passed down through generations. The bracelets will be engraved with either the person’s name or, if passed down, the name of your great-grandmother or family name, with floral or tribal type patterns. The light underneath and behind the dancers matches their outlining, showcasing the spiritual connection Hālau holds. It is a commitment and dedication to dance. Wailani expresses how Hālau dancers live, eat, and breathe Hālau. It is a strong spiritual experience: even when dancers are in a bad mood, they have to stop working on whatever they are doing because their energy will show in the work. This painting showcases this as the dancers look up into the space around them, guided by the spirits.
Her Love Will Guide Us Through, Oil on canvas, continues the theme of spiritual connection through a self-portrait of Wailani holding her daughter. Surrounded by plants and the spirit of her grandmother, Her Love Will Guide Us Through expresses a deep generational connection of ancestral love. This painting was not developed within the six months, but Wailani included the work in the exhibition to tell the story of generations through her grandmother, her, and her daughter. The glowing light signifies the spiritual connection of love and guidance from her ancestors that guides her and her daughter every day.
Hawaiian Honey is on view until September 10th, 2026, at the Folsom Gallery at 48 Natoma,
open Monday through Friday, 9 am to 5 pm.
This article was written by Vianne De Santiago. Vianne joined Folsom History in July 2025 as the Visitor Service Associate. She earned her BFA in Studio Arts and Certificate in Curatorial Studies from California State University, Sacramento. Notable curatorial work of her’s includes her co-curation with Bridgett Rexford, "¡SMASH! piñata exhibitions," exhibited at Prism Art Space and The Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento.
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