I always need to see the big picture, “the why” of something in order to understand it.
I painted this close up scene Ironically in order to see the big picture of what Maunaloa represents. Taking a close look at ʻĀhinahina and their blooms help me to see an example of our native resilience and beauty. Many of our native species face extinction or endangerment yet in many situations they are safest at our highest peaks, like Maunaloa.
The ʻĀhinahina grows up on Maunaloa. It blooms once in its life before dying. Its silvery leaves stand at the bottom of a tall piercing view with hundreds of flowers encircling itself.
The ʻĀhinahina reminds me of Maunaloa itself. In the way it is a refuge, a home, a haven to native species that depend on it, like our native yellow face bee, the Nalo Meli Maoli. But it also is to us, because we are all connected and rely on each other more than we typically realize but also because of the mere natural fact that Maunaloa is one of 5 mountains, volcanoes, that poured out life for us.
This watercolor shows a close look at three Nalo Meli Bees relishing in the haven of bright ʻĀhinahina flowers with sunlight closing in around them.
i wanted to capture the light and the closeness of this scene while still being able to clearly identify what the image was.
I named this piece Haven. 