MELE KALIKIMAKA

My last posting was at Thanksgiving, so could not let Christmas go by without wishing everyone a very MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR. Most importantly, don't forget the reason for the season!

And what a magnificent reason for celebration. The Christ Child was born.



Much love to all.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

There are so many things that I am thankful for, but the one that rises above all else is Christ Jesus; my Lord, my Savior, my Redeemer, my Comforter - that list goes on and on. From 2 Corinthians 5:21 "God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God."

A Man of Sorrows

My family is all important to me also and for them I am most thankful. My gratitude to my Lord for the fact that they know Him, worship Him, and walk in His light.

So on this day of Thanksgiving, celebrate with those you care about and give thanks for all the blessings you have received.

P.S. I am reminded of my friends who add so much to my life, I thank God for each and everyone of you.

Surroundings

I subscribe to a blog called "Goins, Writer" which is written and maintained by Jeff Goins. I enjoy his blog because it gives valuable tips on writing. Not just on how to write a blog, but writing in general. I have this grand dream of writing a mystery novel...or an autobiography... something extraordinary. I write for this blog, I write a newsletter for my church, and sometime when a thought comes to mind, I may write an essay or even a poem. You get the idea. I tell myself this is all practice to that big novel. But, right now my heart is in my painting and that's usually what this blog is about.

Jeff's subject of his last post was "Let Your Surroundings Inspire Your Writing." So, as I looked at my surroundings...front, right side, left side; I thought "why not...I'm way overdue for a post anyway." So, that's what my post is about today...my surroundings.

In front of me I see a messy work area where I have been diligently working at for the past few days. I'm preparing for my Sunday School class that I have to facilitate tomorrow morning. I should be working on it right now and I will be as soon as I finish this post. Our lesson this Sunday is from Romans 7:1-25 ...extremely complex text, but very profound.



To my right...I'd rather be out there than in here. What an absolutely beautiful fall day. I love being able to look out my front windows and see this beautiful God-given landscape. I even have the windows wide open to take full advantage of the outside.



To my left...a wall of my oil paintings. Painting is something I thoroughly enjoy and decided to get serious about it when I retired. It was a tossup as to whether I would concentrate my efforts on my painting or my writing. At that time, painting got top priority. However, I have since found that I can do both. But, I've also learned that to be exceptional at either my focus needs to be more directed. When I get ready to do that best selling novel (ha!) I will focus all of my attention on that. I paint for the sheer pleasure, if something sells that's fine, if not that's ok. God has blessed me with this talent so I paint to His glory.



I hope you've enjoyed this sojourn from my regular blog about my paintings. I've enjoyed the change. And I apologize to my followers that the time between postings is longer that I like it to be. I will attempt to be better about it in the future.

Remembering

Today is September 11..."a date that will live in infamy!" These were the words spoken by President Franklin D. Roosevelt when he reported to the nation the deliberate attack on Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Hawai'i by the naval and air forces of the empire of Japan. Those very same words ring even truer for what is described as the most brutal attack ever experienced on our country's soil. On this day all over the country, this horrific attack is being remembered in some way. I choose to remember it here by the posting of a newly completed painting.

Some of you may remember the drawing I posted to honor the July 4th holiday - I had plans to paint it and I have. For some reason it has taken me a longer time than usual to finish this painting (this is 18x24 on gallery-wrapped, stretched canvas). I've entitled it "A Moment With God." I chose that title because behind the photo I saw a scared kid, who needed the reassurance that he would be alright.



Some of you may know that my son is a professional performing musician. He returned home from his latest "gig" and looking at the painting said: "We just did this gig for an Army training facility (he told me what the name was, but I don't remember)." He went on to say that, "as I looked out over the audience - hundreds of soldiers who were just kids - it hit me that these 'kids' were being trained to protect my kids and they don't even know them. That scene made a huge impact on me."

May God bless us all.

Aloha Herb Kawainui Kane

The art world and Hawai'i lost an amazing artist and much-loved native son. Herb Kawainui Kane, died on March 8, 2011. He was born on June 21, 1928. He was three months short of being 83 when he passed away.

"If my work contributes to our comprehension of Hawai'i's past, that will ultimately become the greatest reward." (Herb Kawainui Kane)

As some of you may remember, I have featured some of Mr. Kane's work here on my blog. I subscribe to updates from Mr. Kane's website and usually save updates to review at a more leisurely time. I feel I must explain why I'm writing of his passing in August and not more timely, since it has been about five months since his passing. Today, I thought I would do another posting on his art work, only to find that one of the updates I had saved was about his passing. Needless to say, I was surprised - sadly so. Growing up in Hawai'i and enjoying art as much as I do, Herb Kane was a major inspiration. I would not only study his art for the skill involved, but the stories behind his work reminded me of stories of old Hawai'i I had heard as a child from my grandmother. His paintings and the associated stories taught me much about the myths and legends of my people.

Here is a few of his pieces. Beautiful stuff.

The discovery of Hawai'i. These Polynesian travelers crossed hundreds of miles of open sea in search for habitable lands. On one of those journeys, Hawai'i was discovered. Legend tells of seeing the fires and explosions from the volcano, which struck fear into the hearts of the newcomers.

The Fisherman. He wears a ti leaf rain cape and holds a yellow find tuna (ahi). A favorite pearl shell lure with a bone hook is carried around his neck.
Serenade. My life growing up was filled with music and dance. It was part of the lifestyle.


Thank you Mr. Kane for the beauty and pride you have infused into the Hawaiian culture. Rest in peace.

The NikonSniper

I follow the blog of the Nikon Sniper. Other than being a fantastic photographer, he writes an amazing blog. He speaks boldly for Christ and in his latest blog he wrote the following. His latest post, which I've partially posted below, leads me to say "Shouldn't I want to tell you?" Check him out, it'll be well worth your time.

I also want to be clear with all whom I am fortunate enough to encounter in life’s remaining days. This includes you! Follow me here.

If I truly believe, AND I DO, that Jesus is the only way to get to heaven (John 14:6, Acts 4:12), shouldn’t I want to tell you? I mean, if I say I care about you, AND I DO, and I truly believe you might have missed the most important decision in life, … Shouldn’t I say something?

If I truly believe that a wrong choice for your eternal salvation would lead you to a horrible eternity, … Shouldn’t I say something? Not according to the world! The world wants me to shut up. I know that!

The world says, “Just tell people you care about them, even help them with a little cash when they are struggling (if ya have to), … but don’t try to tell them anything that will assist them in finding the source of real love and eternal treasure.”

You can call me a hypocrite! I fall on my face all the time. I’m not perfect. But I know the King of Kings. I know the Lord of Lords. I know the author of life. I know the deliverer of lost sheep. I know the One who lifts the broken-hearted. I know the ONLY way, the truth and the life. And one day He will make me cease to stumble. And Jesus can deliver you from whatever life’s trials are and grant you eternal life in His presence.

And if I don’t tell you about Jesus … I should be considered an even bigger hypocrite! If a “believer in Christ” ISN’T telling you about Him, you should be asking them, “Why”?

That is what is important to me in my remaining days here. I must declare to you that I can’t throw a football … but I know Jesus! I am not speaking to you today of fuzzy feelings. I am talking about the Lord who died for your sins, If only you will accept it and allow Him into your life.

No one will care in eternity that I could throw a football when I was young. The only thing that will matter there is what I did here with God’s Son, Jesus Christ. These are the most loving and caring words I can urge you to hear. The world insists I am not politically correct! But Jesus is ALIVE! Something happened 2000 years ago that shook up the world … and He is still ALIVE and coming again. I hope you will seek Him today.

Your friend,
Nikonsniper Steve

Herb Kane - Hawaiian Artist Extraordinaire

It has been a while since I wrote anything on Hawai'i and its art. This is a piece done by the world renown artist, Herb Kane. I've always admired his art, not only for its Hawaiian historical content, but he is also an amazing artist who makes the past of Hawai'i come to life. I want to share his work with all of you.




In 1795, Kamehameha invaded Oahu with a large army. The 19th Century historian Kamakau wrote that the canoes were so many that they were beached from Waikiki to Waialae. Kamehameha also had acquired several ships of European-American design, along with cannon and swivel guns, beginning with the schooner Fair American.

PAINTING AND BEYOND

Although I love to paint, there is another “craft” that I thoroughly enjoy and that is scrap booking. Of course, like anyone else, I did have photo albums of children and other family members with descriptive phrases to identify each photo. However, even before the scrap booking “craze” started I was journaling and adding embellishments to my photo albums. I discovered it was something I really enjoyed doing. Not only was I leaving a pictorial legacy for my children, I was leaving them family history. Some drawbacks to scrap booking is that it does take a lot of time, it makes a mess, and it is never finished. I know these will be enjoyed by family in later years. Even now, my grandchildren (10 and 6) enjoy looking through them.

A painting can take a lot of time, it can make a mess, but it does come to completion. Even though you may start anew, each painting is a project that you can bring to completion.

Here are first two photo pages out of my “Ohana” (family) scrapbook.





You may notice that the photo of my son and his wife on the first page is a photo of a painting that I did of them.

Remember Them!!

I was so moved by the "story" (I perceived) behind the photo and its composition that I just had to sketch it. HAPPY 4TH. Most importantly REMEMBER ALL OF THEM.



Thank you for them Lord.

Outside My Comfort Zone

Yes...this was totally out of my comfort zone. My son commissioned me to do a painting for his upcoming contemporary country music album "It's All About The Money." He told me what he envisioned and I put it down on canvas. It is multi-media and was, without doubt, a most challenging piece. It measures 12x12 - a size that does not lend easily to detail work. Anyway, I took on the challenge and this is the end result.

The whole concept is how one "who makes it" burns their money on the luxuries of life: mansions; bling, bling and more bling; race cars; race horses; etc.; etc. I must say that although a challenge, I enjoyed doing it - very surrealistic.

Shine Through Worship Art Festival

Last weekend we opened on our Annual Art Festival. The theme this year was "Shine Through Worship." Opening day was so much better than we anticipated. In fact, the turnout of viewers for the first day was much, much better than last year....and that was with the threat of severe thunder storms and potential for tornadoes. The Lord kept the severe weather at bay and near the close of the show, I stepped outside and there in all its glory was a full rainbow arching over the church's sanctuary. I know God blessed the show, after all it was all about praising and glorifying Him.

Here I am with the painting I had just finished and created for the show. It was just for display and was entitled "Fishers of Men."


Here is a closer look at the painting.

First Place in Photography category, Professional Division and "Best of Show."


First Place in Pencil Category, Professional Division - "The Power of Prayer." The same artist also took first place in the Pastel Category - shown hanging just below.


First Place, Painting Category, Professional Division


"Hands-on" art for the children, which was a huge success.


And artists who did demonstrations throughout the show...all of the artists were students. They did a wonderful job.

All in all, the show was enjoyed by all who came.

Another Diversion

http://www.reverbnation.com/cashcreek?eid=A1428970_8095925_34132250

Yes, as I said in my last posting...my granddaughter is one of my diversions. Here's another..."Cash Creek." The dad of that beautiful little girl is my son Kimo Forrest (to your far right) who leads this contemporary country band. Other than just recently being commissioned to design an album cover, my involvement is to sit anxiously on the "end of my seat" waiting for his album to grab hold and take off. So, go hear Cash Creek, just click the above link, read about him and the band, then listen to the tunes. I'm sure it will get your foot tapping.

As a footnote; I did a painting for him last Christmas of him on the road in performance, see it here.

One of My Diversions

I am so sorry my blog readers, hope you haven't given up on me. I just realized that it has been a while since I posted anything on this blog. I think it has been since late January and here it is mid-March. I could make all kinds of excuses and I do have a few, all legitimate and believable.

For instance; here's one:

My sweet little princess granddaughter. She had just bought a new "princess" dress and rushed over to show it to me. (Notice her very chic boots and tights.) Of course I had to take a picture. She has been the subject of a few of my paintings and after taking her picture in her new dress, she said that maybe this would make a good painting. She is precious. Her mother tries to write down all of the cute things she says and just recently posted on Facebook. "Ellie put on her new dress and I told her she looked like a princess to which she replied, I know and you are the queen and God is the King of Kings.'" She is 5-1/2 years old.


This is a painting I was commissioned to do of her for her uncle from a snapshot taken about 2-1/2 years ago. She knew she was a princess then also.

I do have a painting sitting on my easel in an unfinished state, but coming along very well; however I must admit that it has been in progress for longer than usual. Between making my grandchildren priority whenever they want to visit or have "art class," keeping up with my Bible studies, writing the newsletter for my "more mature" adult group, and preparing to teach my Sunday School Class...my painting has taken a back seat. I'm telling myself right now that when I'm done with this posting I will paint (fingers crossed).

More on Herb Kane's Pu'ukohola

Continuing with the art of Herb Kane. I previously posted on the painting of the Heiau Pu'ukohola here.

This depicts a ceremony happening at the Pu'ukohola heiau.



Keoua, paramount chief of the southern provinces of Hawai’i Island, disheartened by the loss of a third of his army in a volcanic explosion, accepted Kamehameha’s invitation to talk peace. But as his canoe fleet arrived below Pu‘ukohola Heiau, tempers flared; someone threw a spear and in the ensuing fight Keoua and the others in his canoe were killed. Their remains were taken to the heiau as offerings to the god of war, Kukailimoku.

This may not be of interest to all; however, to artists...you can appreciate the artwork and time and tediousness of doing a piece such as this. For those who enjoy tales of old Hawaii...interesting.



"Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven." (Matt. 5:16 KJV)

My Son's Work

Today I was compelled, I don't know why but I'm following my heart, to post a couple of the works of my oldest son, Kalani, who went to be with THE FATHER some 20+ years ago. He was two days short of being 26 when he left this earth. Maybe I just want you to know that he lived and was loved. He was truly a talented young man who I am sure would have been a first-class visual artist, or for that matter, anything he aspired to be.

This is titled Oya-Shi-Shi. It is a Japanese Kabuki dancer. Multimedia on cardboard from the side of a box.

This was done in graphite and ink.

Kalani, you are missed so very much.




"Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven." (Matt.5:16 KJV)

It's About the Hands

Finally; signed, sealed, but not yet delivered. Christmas present for my son. It is his image when he was out there, somewhere "on the road." I started this back in November, but due to semi-major, life-interrupting medical situations I was unable to finish it on time. Finally, mid-January, I can say..."it's done." I did present it to him unfinished at Christmas and I think he was really pleasantly surprised. This one he is willing to hang in his studio. That tells me that he REALLY does like it.

15x30 oil on stretched canvas

This has been sitting on my easel so long that I will miss it, but I am also anxious to move on to other things. For one, I am co-chair for the annual art festival at my church in April, so I imagine from here until the close of that show, it will be very busy.

Thanks for looking in on my blog. A comment is always appreciated.

Hawaiian Historical Art

My new year's resolution (ordinarily I don't make resolutions) is to be more proactive about posting to my blog. I have been so bad about doing so over the past few months and can't even remember when I last posted on Hawai'i.

I've decided this time to share with you, a world-renown Hawaiian artist, Herb Kane. I don't know how many of you know his work, but he does wonderful work depicting Hawai'i and her history. Below is one of his magnificent pieces, the building of Pu'ukohola. This heiau is located on the Big Island of Hawai'i. I have visited it and it is quite something to behold IRL. I am so amazed at Mr. Kane's rendering of the rocks. Very tedious, but so well done.



Kamehameha built a great luakini heiau (state temple) to Ku-ka-ili-moku, patron god of war and politics. Thousands of men passed rocks hand-to-hand over great distances. Stone workers fitted the rocks without mortar. Kamehameha led the work, raising platforms and walls, and is seen here beside the feathered standard of his rank, taking a stone to pass along. News of the temple-building, received with dismay by the chiefs of other islands, may have caused them to rush to attack without adequate preparations before he could complete the work and attract power from the god. (Excerpt taken from Herb Kane's website.)