That Which Nourishes Us (solo show 2024)
Recognizing the nourishment that is contained in all things calls for a life of reciprocity with the land and each other. Fruits from aunty, bodyboarding in the ocean after school, ‘ulu hanging on a tree, friends and family coming together to celebrate a shared love. My artwork is a visual connection to the unique moments, people, organisms and places of our island home, Maui. In the awareness of all that nourishes us, we find a new vision to counterbalance our modern day “never enough.”
Lunch Bunch- One of my favorite memories of elementary school was when we had lunch in the classroom instead of going to the cafeteria. Sometimes we had “culture” day and everyone had to bring a dish from their culture. In these foods is a history of Hawai’i. From voyagers to plantation workers to the modern era. Can you spot the spam musubi?
Malu 'ulu 'o Lele - "The shaded breadfruit grove of Lele." That is one of the historical Hawaiian names for Lahaina. Before the fires, I drove over to the west side determined to paint an ‘ulu tree. We think of the west side as being arid but I was always told it was once abundant, particularly with ‘ulu. There are still some ‘ulu trees there to this day, as well as some in Olowalu that I love to visit. It’s such a beautiful tree that provides so much food. Some things in life are mesmerizing for how simple and true they are.
ʻApeʻape in Hanawī - I painted this based on a photo taken by Zach Pezzillo of Kūhiwa stream in Hanawī Natural Area Reserve in East Maui. I didn’t want the painting to be a realistic replica of his photographs which are already so beautiful. My first time being in a native forest preserve was when I participated in Hawai’i Youth Conservation Corps. We did some work up in Waikamoi and I was totally blown away! Unlike the introduced/invasive forests, the forest structure was filled with unique organisms from the forest floor to the emergent layer. I wanted to highlight the ‘Ape’ape plant while integrating all the different colors and shapes of the different layers of forest such as the red of the ‘ama’u ferns and the yellow lichen clinging to the stream rocks. Everything is so unique yet it has its place in the greater whole.
Ukumehame BBQ- Growing up I spent many summer days surfing and barbecuing at Ukumehame. I’m lucky I still get to continue this summer tradition and share it with other people I love.
Everyone Loves Flowers- In 2023 I was able to use all the leftover flowers from the Hui No’eau art affair as still life objects for the elementary keiki (kids) I teach. My co-teacher Julie and I set up vases with flowers all over the desks. They walked into the classroom in awe and were all so equally excited to paint flowers.
From the same cloth- Our view of humankind and the earth shapes our relationship with nature. The truth is that our bodies are intimately tied to the earth’s health. It then made me think about women and the sexualization and mistreatment many endure, yet they are the life givers for the human race. I created my own oil paint from the soil in my yard for the brown in this painting. I chose ‘uala for this painting because my kindergarten students and I were collecting ‘uala slips to use in our cyanotypes. They were curious how the ‘uala made a tuber and how you could plant it at home. ‘Uala can be replanted by cutting a slip from the original plant and putting it in the ground. After explaining this to them one student said to me, “Wow so if I plant this I’ll have infinite potatoes!” He then excitedly took a plant slip home.
Fruits from aunty and flowers from the farmers market with 7 conversations
Surrounded by a great circle of love, In memory of Raj-Mar Goy
Ichiban Okazuya
Kano makes a lei - Even though Kano and I live up the street from each other we hadn’t been in touch much until recently. Sometimes you reconnect with someone in your life at the right time, and this was one of those times. It’s not always the amount of time you spend with someone, but the quality of connection and attention to each other.
Lunch with Halmeoni 할머니 - In the beginning of 2021, my grandmother, mother, stepfather, fiancé and I were all living under the same roof. This might sound unusual to some but in Hawai’i it’s very common. It wasn’t always easy but I feel fortunate I was able to spend so much time with them.
After school at Pa’ia Bay- Hawai’i is known for traditional surfing and while that is mostly what I enjoy these days I feel like boogie boarding or “bodyboarding” is more common. Most keiki (kids) learn to catch waves first on a boogie board. You also don’t need a car and hundreds of dollars in equipment to catch a wave. When I was younger my friends and I would hitchhike (sorry mom) with our bodyboards and fins and catch the pounding shorebreak of Oneloa (Big beach) and messy north swells of Pa’ia Bay.
Home - Here’s to all the things that feel like home and our resiliency to see that through for our community.
Slipper Library
Blue mai'a
Surrender to Growth
Wild Mai'a - My friend Christa and I found these mai’a (bananas) while hiking. The adventurous spirit that she is, she just happened to have her multi-tool in her backpack. I weighed down one end of the tall banana tree while she sawed the bananas off. They were delicious.
Launiuopoko