Translated to: Everywhere in Pu‘uloa is the trail of Ka‘ahupāhau.

This mural is dedicated to the keiki of Halawa View housing and is a simple reminder that we can learn from the lessons of the stories of old , to help us navigate towards a better future. This mural represents the famous shark god of Puʻuloa bay, Kaʻahupāhau and alludes to some of the other well known shark gods who visited these waters. These sharks were considered as ancestors and were taken care of by those who considered them family. In return Kaʻahupahau protected these people from other man-eating sharks.

For myself this demonstrates Hawaiian and Polynesian peoples’ understanding of their reciprocal relationship with the ocean and natural world around us. The image suggest a parent or grandparent passing this knowledge to the next generation. The sharks and canoe are directed upwards towards the heavens to give a feeling of striving for the highest heights; that we all have the ability to achieve our dreams through the support of our family, community, and culture.

Photo: Andrew Tran

The mural encourages us to follow the teachings of the original people who lived with this land, and to always look towards the natural environment to learn the lessons that can guide us through life. In this "modern-day", the o'opu have been presented with a new challenge, being forced to pass through the concrete to fulfill their life cycle. Some of them are able to survive this journey, yet it is our responsibility to make the changes necessary so that this land and all its unique Hawaiian lifeforms can thrive, not just survive.

Photo: Sean M. Hower

Collaboration with Kamea Hadar

2021

Mālamalama , the guiding light of all of our ancestors. The dramtic lighting and strong use of black demonstrates our Kupunas' understanding of the balance of Pō and Ao, and that you cant have one with out the other. We hoped to share a positive message that could speak to all people and cultures, but thru a Hawaiian lense.

“Out of darkness, was born the light...”

Mural completed this past February, for Pow!Wow!Hawaii2020

Contemporary reflections of traditional wisdom, inspired by the concept of the “bowl of light”, and the desire to “swim with the sharks and fly with the birds...”

Sailing the boundless sea of time

from Pō to Ao

out of darkness to light

guided by the spirit of your ancestors

who soar on thru yourself

and yofur descendants unborn

The 3 figures represent the past,present, and future, against the backdrop of the Koʻolau mountains as seen from "Honolulu Harbor" prior to the urban sprawl. The the flying Manu is the spiritual essense that lives on thru oneself, the living flesh of your predecessors.

This piece is my tribute to the four famous streams of west Maui and the importance of the Ahupuaʻa system in both traditional times and even more so, today. The idea is to give the viewer the "birds eye view" of the Wailuku valley and river, and the sea at Kaʻehu bay. I believe in these crucial times we must look from this view to realize and understand the effects of our actions and the importance of protecting what precious resources we still have before it is too late.

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The textures of the mountain valley and the ocean hope to share how the original people of this land were very aware of the importance of the patterns in nature that surrounded us; from the visual patterns found on many life forms around us, to the cycles in the earth and sky.

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The bold panel of pattern the runs through the middle of the composition represents each of these stream systems, Waikapū , Wailuku , Waiehu , and Waiheʻe, running from the watershed all the way down the ocean. The center image is a "Hue wai", a traditional Hawaiian water gourd, an item that was once an very important part of life when the resource of water was understood as the one of greatest riches in life.

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The patterning on the gourd eludes to the pool of fresh water high in the Mauna Kahalawai (West Maui Mountains), known as "KiʻowaioKihawahine", and the traditional spiritual understanding of the role and importance of the Moʻo goddess Kihawahine . The bird motif is a contemporary pattern inspired by the only endemic seabird to Hawaii, the ʻAʻo (Newells Shearwater), who begin their life high on the slopes of Mauna Kahalawai, then eventually travel out throughout the Pacific Ocean.

Completed mural for @PowwowSanJose. A celebration of Oceanic peoples and our great legacy of voyaging around the earth. Inspired by the idea that the ocean is something that unites us, not seperate us. "There are no more suitable people on earth to be guardians of the worldʻs largest ocean than those for whom it has been home for generations"- Epeli Hauʻofa

The composition of patterns and manaʻo were shared with me thru our teacher, Suluʻape Keone Nunes, and reference different aspects of Hawaiian spirituallity in regards to navigation and voyaging. The "above the clouds" scene represents the view for the migratory sea birds and the idea that as human beings we must strive for the zenith in every choice and action.

Aerosol on invasive Albezia

Painted with Mung Monster for the 2015 Pow!Wow! mural festival in Kaka'ako, O'ahu

Painted at an abandoned 5 star resort on an island in french Polynesia

Painted for the Pow!Wow! 2014 mural festival

Mural Painted for Pow!Wow! 2016 in Kakaʻako Oʻahu

Portrait of King Kamehameha V

Aerosol and House paint on Abandoned water tank, undisclosed location, 2014

Painted with Kamali'ikupono Hanohano at the Windward Community College on Oahu, 2010