Artist Christian Riese Lassen has created perhaps the first "bonded" series of its kind. These altogether unique paintings, which now include “Beyond Hana’s Gate and Eternal Embrace”, will gradually reveal a passionate and unfolding love story with equally evocative paintings. Lassen has not determined how many paintings will eventually comprise the series and has said that the number of images will be dictated by how long the story takes to unfold.

Beyond Hana's Gate	Eternal Embrace

In this series a dashing foreigner comes to the islands and meets a beautiful native Hawaiian girl at the beach in Hana, Maui. They fall instantly into a passionate affair and pledge an undying love for one another. The lovers part when the foreigner returns to sea with a vow to see his love again. As days grow into weeks and then months the girl maintains a tender vigil on a cliff overlooking the ocean called, Hana's Gate.

As tribute to the Gods of the sea for her lover's safe return, the girl brings gifts, which she places on the waves and in the sand. The sea offers its own gifts to the girl, among them a pearl necklace and an exquisite seashell. There is any number of subtle, hidden clues which Lassen sees as gifts of his own to the viewers; foot prints in the sand lead to a barely visible female form; a dolphin is present as are the girl and the gate at Hana. Even more clues are to be found in the sand, clouds and rocks; messages, initials and hearts that will reveal more in each painting until the story is fully told.

"The entire concept lends itself to a multitude of licensing opportunities", says Lassen International's CEO Jona-Marie Price. "This is an opportunity to blend a romantic story with equally romantic images".

Beyond Hana's Gate and Eternal Embrace have already registered with Lassen collectors. Both images are among the company's most successful new editions.

Release Date: 12:00AM (HST) April 22, 2003
Release Number: CRL-2003-27

Contact:

Jona-Marie Price
Lassen International Inc. Las Vegas, NV
(Phone: 702/869-1062; E-mail: jonamarie@lassenart.com)

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