A practice of materials, images and invented worlds.

Pualaha'ole (Pua) Bittick-Haleamau is a Hawaiian Queer artist with a love for angler fish (and their cats, Mac and June!). 

Growing up as a feminine-presenting person in the Bay Area, Pua developed a sensitivity to the way bodies are seen, judged, and often edited to fit narrow societal expectations. Through impressionistic painting techniques, they highlight the textures and so-called imperfections of the human body, centering the qualities that many feminine-presenting people are encouraged to hide. ​Their work embraces the vulnerability and complexity of human connection, inviting audiences to view the human body as it truly exists, rather than something to perfect. They earned their Bachelor's of Fine Arts in Illustration from California State University East Bay in 2025. Their work has been published in various applications: from local newspapers like the East Bay Times, to full page spreads in local magazines such as I Love Life, Septic Sunday, and their alma mater's Occam's Razor. Their work has been consecutively exhibited at the CSU East Bay Art Gallery's annual Rising Artist Exhibition. Bittick-Haleamau has collaborated with designers at the Museum of Art and Digital Entertainment to create illustrations related to the organization's mission. Through these collaborations, they have honed their visual development skills, which has prepared them to dive into character creation and story building in an upcoming visual novel.