AINA HAINA

                                                                  Aina Haina

Aina is land but Haina...not so sure. This view of Koko Head taken at 7am shows the glow of Aina Haina.
I suspect that there is no glottal stop in Haina ,and if so, this means sacrifice or offering. So I think that Aina Haina means Land Offering.

  I painted a small complementary color study of this "land offering". The morning sunrise was so bright we could hardly see the landscape. It was a perfect plein air day waiting to embrace us. I was on site early with only Mark and the gentleman that keeps the park looking beautiful. Mark knew this man and I was introduced.  Forgive me for not remembering his name, I'll add it later. He was hard at work keeping the park perfect for all of us. He had put a son thru the best art school, and he had been a graphic artist himself.  Now he was maintaining the park as a city worker.

It is not uncommon to get to shake hands with the locals while they work hard. The presumptions are almost always incorrect. It is not the poor lowly sad worker bee that keeps O'ahu beautiful. It is the best servants of this land who have their masters degrees in Physics or men and women that  have raised a strong family and managed to get second and third jobs while they pay off college loans. Always they have a smile while working. They are constant reminders that giving is the "getting". There is never toil showing in their faces.

I am taken aback every time I get the opportunity to talk to the men and women that have raised their families here on this island. They work as if they are blessed to do so here. They work for the money, yes,
but as an offering
for being allowed to live here.

First Friday in Chinatown Honolulu Hawaii

First Friday Art Walk in Downtown is always a blast and getting "funnerer" by the month.
Indigo is a great place to dress up and be seen.

Indigo is an awesome bar with Great food and Great service (on first friday  it is especially busy so you will have to spend

25.00 bucks a person to sit for DINNER, but the bar is fine for appetizers and full of awesome beautiful people)
There are Art Galleries open for you to browse and lots of wine flowing along with some super fantastic music playing almost everywhere.
On the street corners anything is possible. I have seen Artists painting on large board that was projected to the entire side of a building.
The above photo was taken on the June 2010 First Friday. The street corner was alive with live music and
open dance....sort of a Brazilian street dance.

My suggestion, don't sit at home on First Friday. Join us at Mark's Garage first and hang with until the night folds up at Indigo.

BIG HUGE CRAAAAAZY TREES

Foster Gardens

Tropical Palms from all over the Pacific shade the walkways of Foster Gardens near Downtown Honolulu.

 Every plant is labeled showing it's origin. No wonder I was high.This is the place where all my maleconcubines get their palms to fan me, this is the place where my massive army gets it's cannonballs from the cannonball tree, this is the place where the birds sing my name at 6 am so softly that I wake just enough to drink my prepared Hibicus tea from cups made of flowers and step in to my slippers made of fuzzy fibers, combed thru by my help maidens. 

             

It is not difficult to feel adored by God when I stand in speckled shade underneath an Australian Chestnut

Tree beside the heledonia and watch the red headed love birds as they make believe the world is theirs.

Makapu'u ---sank you bery mush----

                                      Makapu'u                              (sold to Mrs. Kirby of W.VA)

The tourists stop by the bus loads at the Makapu'u overlook. Most of the time there is only one or two in each group that speaks a little english. When you paint at that site they take pictures of you painting.
You and your art work go home in their camera for their extended family to see.

Individually, the artists that paint together get their kudos based on how many people ask to have their picture taken with you. I have opted to keep my ego in tact by offering to pose. This way I just get to assume that they would have asked me.

 Call me crazy, but secretly I am sure I am the star of home videos in Tokoyo.

After the posing and picture taking is over
 they say , while they bow, "sank you bery mush" and I bow and say" no, thank you very much".
And then I am always sure that I should hand them a coco-cola, hold their hands and start to sing a song about world peace and harmony, and all the different skin colors meshing together. It crosses my mind often that I hold the  key to peace on earth ....or at least one key, you might have the other.