Editorial View
The Gallery's Perspective
A quiet generosity holds the moment here: a woman tilts a sculpted jug and a steady stream of golden oil pours forth. Her face is calm and intent, the soft fall of her shawl—marked with muted blue bands—frames her profile and lends a sense of ritual and care. The warm palette of ochres and siennas, together with the rough-hewn arches and stone floor behind her, gives the scene an ancient, intimate atmosphere as if a private act of blessing has been caught in time. The oil itself reads luminous against the darker background, a glowing thread that links her gesture to the space below. There’s a tenderness in her measured movement and a composed strength in the composition that feels quietly reassuring—an image about giving that asks the viewer to notice the value and warmth of a single, deliberate act.
The Artwork
About With Oil I Anoint Thee
One of the colloquial phrases I picked up while attending an evangelical school was “pouring into”. It is usually used to refer to imparting of emotional or spiritual sustenance or knowledge to another person. I love to use it to consider the way I live and serve. What is it that I am pouring into peoples hearts and minds. Is it rich and golden or watery and grey? Is my action of pouring generous and abundant or stilted and stingy? How does the action of pouring affect me? Does it leave me empty or does my cup runneth or'? ——- This piece is an analogy of the power that a woman who understands her covenants has access to and the ability she has to grant that power to others. In the style of Jews, historic and modern, the woman’s shawl is adorned with a blue tassel or tekhelet. Tkhelet is a sign of the covenant with God, the balance between the light and dark (tekhelet is supposed to be a middle value), and the impending coming of the Messiah. From the vessel in her hand she pours a rich stream of olive oil, a metaphor for the sacrifice of Christ and the oil of choice for Judeo-Christian rituals.
Collector Details
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Image Rights
Image copyright © 2026 by Esther Hiilani Candari.
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Esther Hi’ilani Candari was born to a mixed Asian American family and raised on the beautiful eastern shore of Oahu, Hawai'i. As an artist, her work reflects her rich multicultural upbringing and often draws upon Polynesian symbols and cultural ideologies.
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