Day Six: Koa "Leaves"

 

Pencil drawing, Koa "Leaves"

"To be a warrior is to learn to be genuine in every moment of your life."

Chogyam Trungpa

Imagine this-- the Koa tree only grows in Hawaii and Koa wood is the most beautiful wood in the world. "Koa" means fearless, warrior, brave, like King Kamehameha the Great who unified the Hawaiian Islands with swords, canoes, and paddles created with Koa.

Koa is revered, the wood of Hawaii's birth and history. Inside Iolani Palace, the home of the Hawaiian monarchy, the Grand Hall staircase is made of Koa.Duke Kahanamoku rode the Waikiki waves with his 114-pound Koa surfboard.

Today, musicians know that a ukulele or guitar made of Koa will have tonal magic. The wood grain of Koa is exquisite and expensive. And unique. Whether furniture, crafts, carvings, or jewelry each piece is different in color and grain.

Day Five: Mushrooms Growing on a Ti Stalk

 

Pencil drawing, Mushrooms Growing on a ti stalk

Living

This life
it takes all
that you have.

And what do you give it?
Everything.

@mscator 11.7.21

Day Four: The Uluhe Fern

 

Pencil drawing, Uluhe

Precious Uluhe

Hawaii's uluhe fern,

righteous protector of Pele's rainforest,

Growing steady in Laupahoehoe.

Coiled frond, an energy swirl
shooting, reaching upwards

climbing

holding, hugging, caressing

soil and sky.

Independent Uluhe, 

Thick blanket for pali and aina

Healing aloha,

roots deep, trailing

wild in the cool rain.

Precious Uluhe,

adventurous

harvester of tomorrow.

@mscator 11.6.21

Day Three: Kukui Nut

Pencil drawing, Kukui Nuts

When my Dad travels to the Mainland, representing Hawaii's Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), he brings a kukui nut lei for the people he meets with as a token of aloha.

This is just one of many usages of the versatile Kukui, which means "candlenut" in English and is the state tree of Hawaii. Called the "Tree of Light," the oil of the kukui nut kernel has a high oil content that is highly flammable and is a natural source of light when lit.

Planted in gardens as a shade tree, the silvery-green leaves of the kukui flourish in the Hawaiian sunlight.

"Art is not to throw light but to be light."
Kenneth Patchen

Day 2: Dry Hau Flowers

 

Pencil drawing, Dry Hau Flowers

The hau is a very special tree. Native to Hawaii and a member of the hibiscus family, hau spreads throughout the islands as a prolific shrub or wild and protective coastal bush. Hau is tough and resilient.

Historians say the hau seeds and cuttings were carried in canoes to Hawaii in ancient times. The naturally-curved, pliable branches of the hau softwood were used to make the vital canoe outriggers for transportation, exploration, connection to nature, and so much more.

Amazingly, the plant is also resistant to salt. Hawaiians transformed the hau bark into thick rope for strong nets which held strong in the ocean water. Net fishing, from shore or canoe, is the heartbeat and strength of our island heritage.

The hau flower is a sacred miracle, a spark of life, and a symbol of the human spirit. Its life tells us the story of our fragile, brief lives. With heart-shaped leaves, the five-petal hau blossom unfurls a yellow color at first light, turns orange in the afternoon, and dies dark orange by moonlight.

"From sun up to sun down."

 (mai ka la hiki a ka la kau.)

Hawaiian Proverb

Day One: Kualoa from Waiahole

 

Pencil drawing, Kualoa from Waiahole

I have a new project-- I will be creating a pencil drawing a day. 

Let's start with a drive to the small community of Waiahole, located on Oahu's windward coast. Green Waiahole Valley is rich in Hawaiian history, with fertile land, watered by the heavens, and where taro, the staple food, flourished and nourished. 

From Waiahole, I sketched this view of beautiful Kualoa ("longback"),  which is kissed by the area's rich Ka'a'awa Valley, sacred burial caves, cattle ranch, and soaring Koʻolau Mountain Range. 

With such breathtaking vistas to soak in, it is no wonder that dozens of Hollywood films have been filmed here. I explored the area extensively during my boy scout days, and remember the rich Hawaiian folklore and maybe even heard the drumbeats of the night marchers on full moon nights. 

"Drawing is not what you see but what you must make others see."

 Edgar Degas

Large Painting day 3

Connie - Day 1

Connie - Day 1, 48"x48," oil on linen, 2017. 

Triumph - Day 1

Day 1, Oil on Linen, 72"x 96". 2017 

The final push of school is getting palpable. I am really happy to get started on this large painting.

Today was our final group critique with my thesis advisor Peter Drake. It was a lot of fun. I am really happy with the amount of work I've been able to get done.

Sasha-day 2