Greetings

Everywhere I look, read, and hear it's Happy Holidays, Season's Greetings...but never about what is truly being celebrated. Despite the opinion of what the polls show is the minority, the ACLU and those who choose to believe in NO HOPE...I choose to celebrate the miraculous birth of the Christ, my Lord and Savior, the mighty JESUS CHRIST.



MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Newly Completed Works

I've just completed these portraits of two very dear friends and their husbands. These were done for them because of their generosity. It was supposed to be a surprise, but quickly realized that I could not proceed without their input. In the first portrait, her husband passed away a few years ago, so it was very important to me that I catch his likeness and essence. I just hope and pray they love it...just wish I could've gotten better photos.





Mahalo nui loa (thank you very much) Barbara and Sandra for your generosity and loving friendship.

P.S. Forgot to mention that they are sisters. Their relationship makes me wish I was closer, geographically, to my sisters.

Love Beyond Measure

A little over a week ago I received a request from a member of my Macomber Ohana (family). Her name is Shaula her request was if I could assist her with artwork for a brochure she was putting together. Below is Shaula’s explanation of her vision.

The name of the facility is Life Care Center of Kona, it is a short/long term nursing facility. My grandmother, Rose Alapai was the first patient on their "Butterflies Are Free" program at this specific facility. The aim of the center is to provide tranquility and hope for those leaving this world. In honor of my grandmother I wrote a proposal, to the Life care center of Kona if they would call their palliative care, "Pulelehua, Butterflies are Free.” My grandmother passed away on Oct. 22, 2009 and since her passing, the children of Holualoa Elementary School, where she attended school and myself (home school liaison at this school) have made over 200 Pulelehua (butterfly) magnets. The magnets are placed on doors of patients going through this palliative care program. It has been a very successful partnership with the school. I am now in conversation with the center and we are planning the making of a brochure to share with families. It's very humbling to know we've impacted the lives of so many by softening the approaching deaths of their loved ones. I feel so honored to be such a vital part of such a wonderful ministry that we are called to do, to honor our kupuna (grandparent, ancestor).

In conversation with Shaula and getting her vision of what the painting should depict, I was able to create “Love Beyond Measure.”



This is how our conversation through Facebook messaging kinda went.

I'm really glad you think that the primary rose can be white because in thinking The Holy Trinity I could not get past the thought that the primary rose, God the Father, at the head should be white. The other thought I had was to have the pulelehua on the secondary rose which depicts God the Son, Jesus Christ. To me the pulelehua should be on Christ because, your "freedom" from sin came from the Father through the Son. Lastly, the bottom rose represents the Holy Spirit. Another thought was to lay 2-3 rose buds at the base of the vase to represent fallen mankind.

While in the process, I was strongly impressed upon to have a tear falling from the white rose (The Father) to the first pink rose (The Son)…which is self explanatory. The Koa Wood vase and the wall of “weathered” lauhala represents the Hawaiian people and their culture. The Palapalai fern on the right represents the interweaving of the ohana with the roses, giving greater significance for the ohana.

My own grandmother Mary Kahula’okalei’opu’u Rose came to mind while painting this and as I write, my mother Pauline Kaohunani comes to mind as well. I miss them so much that for me, “Love Beyond Measure” has also become my tribute to both of them.

Omigoodness - It's Been Awhile

These two commissioned paintings is why I haven't posted for a while. My granddaughter is the little ballerina and her cousin. The pose of my granddaughter has been so endearing to family members that her uncle asked that I do one for him. He was very specific about the background color.

Now it is on to other things. Thanks so much for visiting.

The Prodigal - Completed

I've signed all three paintings...YAY!!! Just have to frame them...which I will have to build myself or maybe get my son to do it, then it will be ready for the show. I didn't think I would be able to do it as I envisioned, but I am pleased with the finished product. I wish I could've gotten a better photo.

Progress on The Prodigal II

My last progress posting was on June 22nd, so I think I am overdue for another post. I've been working every available moment on this piece and I'm seeing substantial progress...I feel good about that. I do; however, have a long list of what has to be done and then some.



If you have any comments, don't hesitate to voice them. I can always use constructive criticism.

Thanks so much for coming by.

Lokelani

Progress on The Prodigal

A quick post to show my progress on this piece. To get the history of this piece, go here. Because of the time factor and work involved, I'm first concentrating on "The Prodigal Son" and "The Patient Father" panels so that if something happens and I can't finish the last piece of this triptych, "The Pouting Brother" I will still have these two to present. I messed up the tree so am working to correct that right now, but needed a break from painting so thought I would update you.

BTW...the father is still in underpainting. Will be adding color shortly, I hope.



More to come later. Thanks for visiting and if you have any critiques...I'm open to that.

Thanks again.

The Prodigal

Oh my goodness, it has been quite a while since I’ve posted here…my apologies. It has been so busy that I can barely keep up with daily goings on. I was reminded to blog as a result of the fact that I am embarking (have already) on a project, which to me is huge.

I have been invited to again participate in the annual Art Exhibition and Sale of the Nashville First Baptist Church (that’s Tennessee). Last year I participated with my entry of “Take This Cup” in the amateur division. For this piece I was awarded a Purchase Award, which included a cash award. This is that piece.



The theme this year is “The Return of the Prodigal.” There are three categories. Firstly is “The Prodigal,” then “The Patient Father,” and lastly “The Pouting Brother.” Entrants were invited to submit in individual or all categories. Since receiving the invitation, my first thought was a triptych, but because of the work required I tried to come up with something else. However, nothing else would come to mind. So it looks like I will be submitting to all three by doing a triptych. Ambitious? I would say so, but I think inspired because of the fact that I could not think of any other composition. It seemed as though, I needed to visually portray the entire story. The other evening I was looking hard at what I’ve created so far and the thought came to mind…”this is the story Jesus told.” That thought in itself was inspiring.

Because they didn’t know who or what The Prodigal Son was all about, my grandchildren asked about my sketches. So using my sketches, I told them the story that Jesus told as tax collectors, sinners, Pharisees and teachers of the law were gathering around him to hear what he was saying. How awesome is that? Here is the unfinished pencil sketch on canvas that I will be submitting…



The plan was to create each segment of the story to stand alone, but together, the entire story is told. I hope what I have done thus far, accomplishes that. Sorry about the quality of the photo. The size of the side canvases is 15x30, while the center canvas is 22x30. I’m sure you can tell by looking, who is who. The only canvas ready for paint is “The Patient Father” Thank goodness the deadline is August, because I have a long, long way to go.

Although I am intimidated by this project and the fact that I have to submit as a professional this year, it will happen.

I will post my progress periodically. Thanks so much for visiting.

There are 3 ways you can make a real difference to this blog.
1. Share the link to this site with just one other artist, art collector, or someone who would be interested.
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Cheekwood

Along with a group of friends, I visited the Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art in Nashville, Tennessee. The day was perfect for walking through gardens and the displays were magnificent. In celebration of their 50th anniversary, the museum had on exhibit 40 paintings and four sculptures works from The American Impressionists in the Garden, works of art from Faberge’ (housed in a special room with a guard on duty), and the focus of the tour - magnificent pieces of art by the world famous glass artist Dale Chihuly. Chihuly’s pieces were also installed within the nature landscapes and the blending was amazing - man-made work intertwined in nature.

























These are just a few of the glass sculptures. I would’ve loved to take photos of the paintings; however, the museum only allowed photographing of Chihuly’s pieces.

All in all, it was a wonderful day and seeing the art up close and personal was great.

Still on the Easel

Quite a while ago my daughter-in-law handed me a 4x6 snapshot of my granddaughter Ellie that she had taken. She asked me if I would paint it when I had the time as it was one of her favorite photos of Ellie. Well, I finally got around to it and am glad that I did. This shot was taken about a year ago and is so typical of Ellie. She is growing up so fast and we may never see her in this situation again, so am glad that not only was it captured in photo, but on canvas as well. Yesterday we celebrated her fifth birthday...can't believe that she's there already.



I have not signed it yet, so it is still considered a WIP (work in progress) if anyone has a critique.

Also, maybe of interest is the fact that I have a new computer which was loaded with Windows 7. I know it is suppose to be an easier operating system, and anything would be better than what I previously had...but I knew my previous operating system so much better than this one. I'll learn though. Anyway, that's why the picture is not cropped - I don't know how to do it, yet.

Thank you so much for visiting. Talk to you next time.

Paintings Exhibited

This is probably a shock to those of you who follow my blog...I'm posting so soon after the last. The reason for this is there was a request from one of my readers that I post those paintings that were hung at both the First Baptist Church, Joelton's first annual art festival and at the grand opening of the Main Street Artists gallery. So here they are.

The following two paintings were hung at the FBC Joelton's art festival for display only.


This one is titled "Make a Joyful Noise." The Bible tells us to praise the Lord with singing and dancing and that's what I was trying to depict here. The Lord understands all languages and cultures.



"Sing Praise" - the shepherd boy David singing praise to the Lord Almighty. The theme of the festival was "Praise Him." This was done especially for this show.





The following four hung and are hanging at the "Main Street Artists" gallery.











































Titles are from top to bottom: "Mahalo Ke Akua" (Thank You God) oil 24x18; "Can't Hide From Him" oil 18x24; "Morning Dew" oil 20x16; and "Beauty in Simplicity" oil 16x20. All are for sale. If there is any interest out there, email me at lokeforrest@comcast.net.

Mahalo for visiting and come back soon.

Art Festival/Grand Opening Weekend

This past weekend has been a full, hectic weekend with the opening on Thursday of the First Annual Art Festival for the First Baptist Church, Joelton (that’s Joelton, TN), of which I was one of the coordinators for this event.
Not only was that happening, but on the Saturday, which was the last day of the festival, my art co-op had its grand opening. I did hang my work at both events, at the church art festival it was for display only. At the grand opening of the co-op I had four pieces for sale. I’ll post a few photos of both events here.


This is at the church art festival. Unfortunately the lighting was not conducive to viewing art – one of the list of things to be corrected for next year.




Paintings are: top – First Place/Best of Show for the Professional category. “The Prodigal Son” (after Batoni) by Jimmie Roberson.

Next is “Country Church” which won First Place/Best of Show for the Amateur/Youth Division by Betty Fletcher. This painting was also selected to receive the Purchase Award, which means the church purchased it to be hung in their facility.

After the art festival closed, I ran over to the next town to make a showing at the Artbrigade’s Grand Opening before that show was over. Here are a couple of photos..

A couple of members of the co-op discussing the show and being available to any viewers who may have had questions. One of my paintings, “Morning Dew” is visible on the easel. For some reason, I did not take pictures of my three other pieces…I think by the end of this very long weekend I was just too worn out to even care, now that I’ve recuperated I wish I had taken more pictures. I am a very new member of the co-op, which is also a new organization, but I have met some wonderful artists and people. The Artbrigade is the co-op whose work hangs in the “Main Street Artists” gallery. The gallery also displays beautiful, hand-made jewelry and sculpture. I think I am going to enjoy being a part of this group.

Mahalo for visiting.

> There are 3 ways you can make a real difference to this blog.
1. Share the link to this site with just one other artist, art collector, or someone who would be interested.
2. Post your thoughts in the Comments section.
3. Email your ideas and/or suggestions on what you would like to read/see more of to lokeforrest@comcast.net

Calypso Moon Challenge

9X12
Oil on canvas board

Thanks to Sheila, one of my followers, I was introduced to Alice Thompson of Calypso Moon Artist Movement. Alice puts challenges to her followers and this month she asked those entering the challenge to paint two pieces from a collection the artist has that reflects his/her personality. The piece I decided to enter into the challenge is part (I say part because there are two little cups that belong to the set) of a Japanese sake set that was a gift to my grandmother from my grandfather early in their marriage. Each one of us, my three sisters and myself, wanted this set badly. One day, as a grown woman I and my sisters (who were all older) were visiting my mom when she took me aside and handed me a plain, brown bag. To my surprise the sake set was carefully packed inside. I am very much into the fact that one’s past and the people in it are so essential to who you are, so needless to say I was extremely moved by the gift. My grandmother was so important to me and she continues to influence me in many ways. My sisters did not find out for a while that it had come into my possession. It is something I treasure with all my heart. I don’t have a daughter to pass it on to, but I do have a little, precious granddaughter.

I did this piece in a hurry for the challenge so it is not as well done as I would’ve liked. I did; however, do this same set with its cups a while back for one of my sisters. I will post that here.

Sake and Protea
16X12
Oil on stretched canvas

Mahalo Nui Loa Mama and Tutu.



> There are 3 ways you can make a real difference to this blog.
1. Share the link to this site with just one other artist, art collector, or someone who would be interested.
2. Post your thoughts in the Comments section.
3. Email your ideas and/or suggestions on what you would like to read/see more of at lokeforrest@comcast.net

“Sing Praise” – David Project Completed

Sing Praise
20x24 oil on stretched canvas
Available

I must’ve taken a gazillion photos to get one that was not out of focus and this is the best I could come up with. I had intended to do this canvas-wrapped, but then decided to go this route because I was going to hang it at our upcoming art festival, and I think a frame really enhances a painting.

As those of you who have followed this process are aware; this is the shepherd boy David singing praises to his God, which is in keeping with the theme of the festival – “Praise Him.”

Now I’m onto to something else…something less intense.

Mahalo to all of you for your encouragement and helpful suggestions.



> There are 3 ways you can make a real difference to this blog.
1. Share the link to this site with just one other artist, art collector, or someone who would be interested.
2. Post your thoughts in the Comments section.
3. Email your ideas and/or suggestions on what you would like to read/see more of to lokeforrest@comcast.net

The Sunshine Award

Many, many thanks to Rosemary Sexton for nominating me for the Sunshine Award. The Sunshine Award is a blogger award for creativitiy and positivity! What a fantastic surprise…I am soooo stoked about that.

The rules for accepting the award are:
Put the logo on your blog or within your post.
Pass the award onto 12 bloggers.
Link the nominees within your post.
Let the nominees know they received this award.
Link to the person from whom you received this award.

I now have to pick 12 artists who I think deserve this award. That is going to be hard because all those I follow (and those I have not found yet) are amazing artists. Here’s my list in no particular order, but know that each and everyone of you deserve an award…

Kay Henderson – absolutely spectacular American Indian portraits with wonderful background stories.
Sam Dolman – Sam does farmyard animals and other animals as well, beautifully and realistically.
Sheila Tajima – art that makes you sit up and take note of the powerful messages she paints into her pieces.
Celeste Bergin – an extra applause for the consistency of her blogs.
Sophie Ploeg – amazing oil artwork.
Carol Nelson – her 100 portraits in 100 days has been an adventure. She never fails to post a new one every single day.
Paul Coventry-Brown – his still life work is amazing.
Graham Hanks – Greywolf does great work even on his so called quick studies.
Adebanji Alade – his sketches are wonderful and emotion filled pieces of life swirling around him.
Judy – An amazing blog she’s put together and maintains showing masters paintings of strong women of the Bible. Not a religious blog, but definitely an informative one and evidently one that takes a lot of research.
Dean H. – of Deano’s Den. He does everything and never forgets to post a little bit of inspiration along with each new blog.
Deborah Younglao – Silk Paintings like you may have never seen before. Amazing stuff.

> There are 3 ways you can make a real difference to this blog.
1. Share the link to this site with just one other artist, art collector, or someone who would be interested.
2. Post your thoughts in the Comments section.
3. Email your ideas and/or suggestions on what you would like to read/see more of at lokeforrest@comcast.net

New David Update

This is my latest. Major changes, as you can see. The mountains just seemed to overwhelm David and I just felt that had to be changed. I did not want to detract from David. I did finally give him sandals. Still not ready to sign, need to live with it this way for a while.

Mahalo for following this project. Will be back soon with the finish.

> There are 3 ways you can make a real difference to this blog.
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Another David Project Update

As much as I wanted to put more time into this project, time was pretty limited last week and it doesn’t look any better for next week. However, that being said I decided to learn more about King David’s life during those times that I wasn’t painting. I thought it would make this painting more real to me.

I started reading about David in the Bible with the book of 1 Samuel. David makes his appearance in 1 Samuel 16, after God has rejected Saul as king over Israel and sends Samuel to Bethlehem to the home of a man named Jesse. The Lord told Samuel that He had chosen one of Jesse’s sons to be king over Israel. Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel and none of them “passed muster.” Samuel asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?” Jesse replies that there was still the youngest, David, and he was out tending the sheep. David was sent for and all activity halted until his arrival on the scene. On David’s arrival it is said that…” he was ruddy, with a fine appearance and handsome features.” In researching him even more on the Internet…I discovered that he is supposed to have had red hair and some paintings of him from way, way back show him with red hair, so I have given my David red hair.

The story of King David from the time of his anointing to the time of his death in 1 Kings 2 proved to be very, very interesting. He reigned as king for 40 years…33 of those years was as king over all of Israel. Although I’ve known of David and his exploits, i.e., Goliath, Bathsheba, etc., and read about him in the Bible before…reading about him this time, I seem to have learned much more in depth about the boy David then the man than I had ever known before. Did it help me with this painting? It most certainly did.

Sing Praise
24x20 oil on stretched canvas

I still have quite a bit before considering this piece finished. I’ve changed his mouth to make him be singing. Not sure whether I like the mountain directly behind him or not. The pasture area needs work and I’ve got to put his sandals on him. Also, still need to work some on his clothing. His legs sure gave me problems. Thank goodness, with my son’s help and posing I think I got it now.

This is where I am now. I’m hoping to work on him some today.

> There are 3 ways you can make a real difference to this blog.
1. Share the link to this site with just one other artist, art collector, or someone who would be interested.
2. Post your thoughts in the Comments section.
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Update to the David Project

This past week has been quite hectic, so I have not been able to put as much time into this project as I would've liked. What little I have done, I will post here. Hopefully the upcoming week will be more productive.



I have worked on bringing the intensity of the mid-range mountains down and glazing down the far mountain to put them more in the distance. I have problems with edges, so will focus on which edges should be soft and which should be hard. I put more detail into the grassy knoll, which still needs work, and some detailing on the lambs. Worked some on the cast shadows, but don’t know if I’ve rendered those realistically enough. I have reference pictures to work from, but none show me how the cast shadows should be rendered. Of interest is the indentation in the hillside of the grassy area…that was accidental, but I think I’ll keep that in…of course rework it some. This week I do want to start laying in the color on David.

Hmmm…it’s been a while since I posted about Hawaii’s past and legends. Will try to think of something interesting for next time.

Also, I want to say how much I appreciate the comments made by those of you who visit here.

> There are 3 ways you can make a real difference to this blog.
1. Share the link to this site with just one other artist, art collector, or someone who would be interested.
2. Post your thoughts in the Comments section.
3. Email your ideas and/or suggestions on what you would like to read/see more of to lokeforrest@comcast.net

Progress on David

Thought I would post the progress I’ve made on my David painting. Nearly done with the underpainting. Today I am planning to lay in another layer on the grassy knoll and refine the figure.



I corrected the length of his legs because anatomically they were too short for the figure. I don’t know how I missed that. Fortunately, a Wetcanvas artist noticed and brought it to my attention. David looks more anatomically correct now. Making his legs longer and adding the two lambs in the foreground took care of the “too much negative space” problem that I felt I had. Oh yes, gotta put his sandals on…LOL! Anyway, this is where I am now.

On a different note, over the past couple of days Middle Tennessee has had the most snowfall that I can remember since the first year I moved here. Here are a couple of pictures of this beautiful winter wonderland. I believe the total snowfall in our area is 4". Lovely, but I've had enough cold and winter this year. Anxious for spring to arrive.





























Thank you so much for coming by.

> There are 3 ways you can make a real difference to this blog.
1. Share the link to this site with just one other artist, art collector, or someone who would be interested.
2. Post your thoughts in the Comments section.
3. Email your ideas and/or suggestions on what you would like to read/see more of at lokeforrest@comcast.net

My New Project

I have started a new project and am into it about 12 hours. It is going to be my submission to our church’s First Annual Art Festival, which is scheduled for April. The theme of the festival is “Praise Him.” Just in case you don’t recognize the depiction, this is the shepherd boy David. He is praising God in song. A couple of weeks ago I was at a stagnant place in my art. Not doing much of anything except sketching periodically, but with no desire to paint. I have been doing sketches of the ideas that came to mind for this piece and now that I’ve decided and started on my submission, I am excited. It is oil on 20x24 stretched canvas. I will show my progress beginning with the two I’ve posted below…



I first sketched directly onto the canvas using hard vine charcoal, and then sprayed with Fixatif to keep the charcoal from smearing and thereby losing my line work. The sketching took me about eight hours. I had my 18-year old grandson pose for me so that I could get the position of David anatomically correct. In using him for this purpose, I decided to use his facial features for David. My conception of David was to be a young David so I would imagine that David at that same age would probably have had the same physical structure as my grandson. I also thought that David’s hair and his complexion would most probably be very much like my grandson. He doesn’t know yet that I am using more than his pose for this painting.



This is where I am now. The background has been roughed in. I think the mid range of mountains is too intense in color, so I will be glazing over that section to bring the intensity of the color down some. I will next work on the underpainting of the figure. Thank goodness for the internet...I've been able to research and download images that I've used as reference instead of guessing at what it may have been like at that time.

As far as a title goes; I am usually inspired for a title while I am doing the piece. In this case, the title that keeps coming to mind is "Sing Praise." That comes from a worship song that we do in church. If anyone has a better title, I would love to hear it.

Thanks so much for visiting.

> There are 3 ways you can make a real difference to this blog.
1. Share the link to this site with just one other artist, art collector, or someone who would be interested.
2. Post your thoughts in the Comments section.
3. Email your ideas and/or suggestions on what you would like to read/see more of to lokeforrest@comcast.net

Practice, Practice, and more Practice

Couple of days ago I blogged on being stuck. Trying to get unstuck is what this entry is all about.

I have been told countless times and read countless articles that the way to better your artistic skills is through practice, practice, and more practice. I have come to the conclusion that, that statement is totally true and unless I “bite the bullet” and work on a painting EVERY day I will never reach the level of expertise that I aspire to. That being said, I put a little 9x14 practice oil painting that I’ve been working on off and on for a few months back on my easel in an attempt to finish it. It is a study of a painting done by William Bouguereau ”Petite fille au bouquet.” William Bouguereau is a master of the arts who was not only a painter, but a teacher, frescoist (Someone who paints on a surface of plaster esp. while it is still moist. I had to look up that word.), and draftsman as well. He lived from 1825 – 1905 and is considered one of history’s greatest artistic geniuses.

Anyway, to break this block that I’ve been experiencing I am trying to finish this painting.



Because I want to better my portraiture skills, I decided to do just the head and shoulders of his wonderful painting, which I will post below. Sorry couldn't get the picture any larger.

Petite fille au bouquet

By William Bouguereau

My version looks older, but that’s what practice is about. Practice until you get it right. And too, maybe this little bit of doing will get the artistic juices flowing again.

FYI…For those of you who may not know, you can find this artist’s work and all of the great masters at http://www.artrenewal.org.

Mahalo for visiting.

> There are 3 ways you can make a real difference to this blog.
1. Share the link to this site with just one other artist, art collector, or someone who would be interested.
2. Post your thoughts in the Comments section.
3. Email your ideas and/or suggestions on what you would like to read/see more of to lokeforrest@comcast.net

I'm Stuck

Yes, I am at a stuck place. I have not put brush to canvas in almost two weeks. I have; however, sketched some, but cannot seem to muster the desire to paint. For Christmas I received a gift certificate for an art store from my grandson. I was excited about that and almost immediately redeemed it for new brushes and several canvases – but those packages are still unopened.

Back in November 2009, I contacted our church’s Minister of Music whose ministry also includes the arts of Drama and Visual Arts. I presented him with the idea of a visual arts art festival…a way to give local artists, professionals as well as amateurs and students, a chance to showcase their talent. The theme “Praise Him” was selected around which all artists would create a piece or pieces of work. Anyway, he went for the idea and the art show is coming up in April.

I plan to enter a couple of pieces. One idea that came to mind is the shepherd boy David, on his harp, praising and glorifying God with his songs. I came up with three different versions of that idea, but am not totally happy with any of them. Here’s what I have….



I am at a loss. Maybe what I need to do is start with a new idea. What to do, what to do. I’ll take any ideas you may have.






Thanks for listening…now maybe I’ll go stand in front of the blank canvas I have sitting on the easel and see if I get an inspiration.

Until next time...take care!


> There are 3 ways you can make a real difference to this blog.
1. Share the link to this site with just one other artist, art collector, or someone who would be interested.
2. Post your thoughts in the Comments section.
3. Email your ideas and/or suggestions on what you would like to read/see more of at lokeforrest@comcast.net

The Paniolo

My last post included a painting of horses that I did for my granddaughter. I’ll post it again here for those who may not have seen it. I thought it would be interesting to write on how Hawai’i came to have one of the most famous ranches in the world and how it produced one of rodeo’s world champion cowboys.


As I said previously said, one of the most famous ranches in the world is the Parker Ranch on the Big Island of Hawai’i. Horses are not native to Hawai’i so you may wonder how did ranching, cattle and horses come to be in Hawai’i. It all started with a gift from England and help from Spain. In 1793 George Vancouver, British sea captain, presented King Kamehameha with long-horned cattle. After receiving the cattle King Kamehameha declared by a sacred protection order (kapu) that they would be allowed to roam and breed freely. This became a problem because the cattle reproduced in large numbers and in two decades, the cattle had formed huge herds. They ate native crops, stampeding through villages, and caused destruction to villages and instilled terror in the population. Like the Texas Longhorn, the Hawaiian Longhorns were smart, wily, and very dangerous. The king decided that the kapu had to be lifted to allow the capture of the Longhorn and stop the chaos. This is where Spain enters the picture. It was on one of his tours that King Kamehameha saw and was very impressed with the skill of the Mexican-Spanish Vaqueros. He knew this was what Hawai’i needed – trained vaqueros to train Hawaiians how to be Vaqueros and to bring the cattle under control. At the request of King Kamehameha, the King of Spain gathered together some Vaqueros and in 1832 they arrived in Hawaii.

With their well-trained ponies, intricate high-horned saddles, and lariats, the Vaqueros demonstrated handling and horsemanship as an art. They taught the Hawaiians to make saddles, to braid the lariat (kaula`ili), to craft bullwhips (‘uepa kani) and the metalwork for bits and spurs (kepa pele). In talking with the Hawaiians, the Vaqueros introduced themselves as “Español.” The closest the Hawaiians could come to the pronunciation was “Paniolo.” Thus was born the Hawaiian Paniolo.

In 1908, three Paniolo, Ikuā Purdy, Archie Ka`aua, and Jack Low traveled to the World Rodeo Championships in Cheyenne, Wyoming. They were considered curiosities, and were faced with prejudice. Because they were not taken seriously, they had difficulty borrowing horses to participate in the rodeo. There was some relenting in that area, but the horses they were given were considered scrubs. Taking their “scrubs,” they trained them in the Hawaiian style – working them in a river to prevent them from fighting. Low was unable to compete due to his asthma, but after all was said and done; Archie Ka`aua took third place, Ikua Purdy won first place and was proclaimed World Champion. Having won them over with his skill, determination, and style, Purdy was given a standing ovation by the crowd.

If this is all news to you…it is to me also. I had some vague idea of how this all went down, but didn’t know as much as I’ve learned researching this information. I lived on the Big Island and have visited the Parker Ranch. It is like most large cattle ranches…miles and miles of open land, some flat, some hilly…but none other that I know of overlooks the beauty of the Pacific Ocean, nor lets you stand on its hillsides to feel the warmth and softness of the tradewinds as this one does.

Just for fun, here are a couple of fun “pony” drawings that I did for pony story that I am doing for my granddaughter. She told me what their names were but I cannot remember all of them. I do know that the pink one is "Pinkie Pie" and the flying one is "Star Song."













Mahalo for visiting and be well.












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