Graffiti=Art?

In the Hawaii Tribune-Herald, there was an article recently outlining a new rewards program for tipsters informing on graffiti taggers. The issue of graffiti has reach epidemic proportions in some areas of the Big Island, frustrating public officials and local business owners and costing a considerable amount of money to cover it. The taggers are becoming more and more bold, leaving larger tags in more prominent areas. It is an issue in Red Bluff too, with gang rivalry being expressed in tag speak. I studied graffiti a great deal for my master's thesis, and note the destructive nature of such vandalism as it instigates violence in some cases. But I also see the beauty of graffiti.

I have always been mesmerized by boxcars covered in tags, the cryptic messages, the color gradations, and the flowing design of graffiti. It is beautiful, and created using just a couple of colors and the difficult-to-control spray can. In Pahoa, there used to be a wall lining an alley (on the side of JoMaMa's, across from LaQuin's) that was a designated graffiti spot. Many local youth artists would create this cacophony of color and design. It was one of my regular pilgrimages to visit the wall, take a picture and see how it has changed. There was very little graffiti in other parts of town. The last time I was in Pahoa, the wall was white; the lovely little graffiti tradition had been lost.

Graffiti can be a major hot-button issue. So, yes, discourage the destruction of public property. Place bounties on tagger's heads if you must. But give these artists another venue to display their work. I can't say that it will eliminate their need to exhibit in more dangerous and visible locations, but it will give them a legitimate location for their work and it will not deprive the rest of us the opportunity to marvel at such gritty, interesting art.

Happy Birthday to Kilauea Eruption!

It has been 25 years since the beginning of the current Kilauea eruptions which has added 500+ acres to the Big Island of Hawaii and covered several populated areas, including the small town of Kalapana. To read the US Geological Survey's assessment of the lengthy eruption, visit their website at http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/volcanowatch/current_issue.html

The activity of the volcano and the Volcano Goddess, Madame Pele is the subject for much of the art and lore that comes out of Hawaii, and with good reason. The terrible beauty and constant threat of the volcano is very much in the mind of any island resident or visitor. It is amazing to stand on new earth, as you can at the New Black Sand Beach in Kalapana, and frightening to imagine that possibly thirty feet below you was someone's home, covered in lava. While it is a difficult trek, to hike out to the lava, it is worth it to see the glow of lava coming over the hill, to see the steam plume as it hits the ocean, and wonder where Madame Pele plans to go next.

Unexpected Art part 2: Hawaiian Cuisine

Culinary opportunities abound in Hawaii--though you have to be up for anything. Last time we were there, we went snorkling with our neighbor, Fish, who disappeared for a while during the excursion and returned with a giant fish, which he proceeded to clean and we ate. I have never had sashimi that fresh in my life.

This trip I discovered haupia, a coconut jelly/pudding snack. It is made with fresh coconuts and is just amazing. We had haupia cheesecake, a tart/sweet cheesecake topped with the thick, rich and creamy haupia. They also sell it in bricks at the farmers market.

Some of the best Thai food I have ever had came from a restaurant truck at the Hilo farmer's market. I had some fabulous chicken satay, basil chicken and pepper pork.

Our favorite Hawaiian BBQ was at the Pahoa farmer's market. We had the usual smokey/sweet BBQ pork and some spicy grilled Hawaiian sausage--ono grinds!

Fish and his wife, Faith, fired up the imu (BBQ pit) and grilled ham and turkey with taro and breadfruit. I'm still not sold on taro, but the breadfruit was okay when eaten with ham. Both are very dense starches with very little flavor on their own.

We've gotten over the novelty of hibiscus growing everywhere--even the Wal-Mart parking lot. But there is still something magnificent about wild white ginger, anthurium and orchids growing unchecked in our backyard. Sitting at Pohoiki--Isaac Hale--beach and watching the waves is awe inspiring, not just for the surfers but for the crystal blue of the water. The coastline bears many similarities to Northern California in that it is mostly rocky with little beach. Remember, Big Island is the newest and is still growing, so there hasn't been enough time to break it all down into sand. But most of the beaches you visit (on the East side, anyway) are black sand.

Our favorite ocean activity is to snorkle, and our favorite place to go it the tide pools at Vacationland. It is like swimming in a giant aquarium. The water is clear blue and the fish are relatively undisturbed as the area is a nature preserve, so there are huge tropical fish everywhere. There is also coral, a whole rainbow of it in greens, pinks, blues and electric purple. Another favorite spot, Richardson Center in Hilo, gave us a solid half hour swimming with two honu--green sea turtles. We got some great photos.

Unexpected Art

A visit to the Big Island usually means artistic opportunities not found in Northern California. And maybe its the tropical weather, the laid back people, the beauty of the island--or, more to the point, the fact that I don't have to work--but while I'm there, I am more artistic.

Arts opportunities pop up in the most unusual places. In our Hawaiian hometown of Pahoa, almost all stores and restaurants feature local art. In the Aloha Outpost, an internet cafe, the art is African in theme and done (I think) by the owner. Malama grocery store features large posters of various types of palm trees and reproductions of vintage postcards. The cafe downtown has some hippie art--fitting as Pahoa is indeed a Hippie town.

On Friday the 7th we attended the opening reception for a miniatures display in Hilo. Dozens of artists created eclectic and magnificent exhibits. Some favorites were the Little Grass Shack by Lee Manoni-Steiger, Twas the Night Before Christmas, Humpty-Dumpty (pictured) and the Princess and the Pea, all by Carol Hocker, and the Snow Maiden by Dorena Bennett. Another favorite, though I didn't get the artist's name, was the Ugly Duckling as Cinderella. The best part of this exhibition was downstairs, where a room was dedicated to children's art.

Not an art exhibit per se, but seriously cool was the Pahoa Christmas Parade. It was kicked off by the community band playing--they were wonderful--and followed by various floats and exhibits. The only thing marring it (besides an excruciatingly long wait in the rain for it to start) was the fact that, as it is an election year, several floats were dedicated to political hopefuls.

An unexpected artform came from our neighbor, Fish. He is Samoan, has lived on Big Island most of his life, and is a very skillful fisherman. He also weaves wonderful and very functional baskets out of palm fronds. We were given one filled with avocados from the numerous plants on his property (those things grow like weeds). We also met a young woman in Hilo who weaves bowls of palm fronds. We now have two of them as well.

The theatrical offerings on Big Island never cease to amaze me. Two and a half years ago we saw Hedwig and the Angry Inch at the Akebono theatre in Pahoa. This year we saw The Eight: Reindeer Monologues at the Kope Kope Espresso Cafe in Hilo. This production, in the very intimate setting of the tiny cafe (great mochas!) was performed by the Hilo Community Players. It was a highly disturbing and very funny series of monologues which try to unearth the truth about allegations that Santa has sexually harassed Vixen as well as other reindeer. Particularly notable was Mark DeMoss as Dasher, a by-the-books company man dedicated to "The Eight;" the very delightful and funny Dancer, portrayed by Keiko Suda, who told of her hiring, her dismay at reindeer not getting time off for Hanukkah, should it fall on the 24th, and how reindeer are brilliant dancers; and Cupid, the only openly gay member of "The Eight" played by Jake McPherson, a hilariously catty gossip with stories that would curl your hair.

We spent one Saturday at the Hilo Farmers Market attempting to sell my paintings and our family crafting favorite, seashell ornaments. We had very little luck, but did meet some fascinating people in the process. A woman named Linda makes beveled glass boxes filled with sand and shells. These beautiful little gems are a great piece of Aloha to take home. There was a mother/daughter team next to us that wove mats, purses, and flowers out of coconut fiber. The teenaged daughter was also a phenomenal singer, and entertained us with Christmas carols and songs accompanied by her 'ukelele. It was a poor sales day for everyone, but a fun adventure.

While I was on island, I mad a few new paintings specifically for the house; one giant 20"x30" painting of anthuriums, and one 9"x12" painting of Lobster Claw flowers. Real tropical flowers are almost as wild and fantastical as my favorite subject, the fantasy flowers. And I have been working on black backgrounds recently, which is a great effect.

Yesterday we took a drive through Volcano. This lovely but tiny town reminded me a little of Trinidad, CA. For such a small place, it is rich with art and artistic offerings.
I'll write more of my Hawaiian adventures in Art soon.
Love,
Tina

Hawaiian Art

I had a great time all day today viewing Hawaiian art. I'm in Hilo, on the Big Island and there are a couple of really neat eclectic galleries here. I started out at the Farmers Market, where there were a few booths selling prints--one Hawaiiana style stuff and the other Asian stuff. The gallery near there had a wide variety of styles, mediums, and abilities displayed--from pencil drawing to wire mesh sculpture, oils, etc.

I hadn't noticed before how much local art is displayed in all of the businesses I frequent here. I was just in Hawaii Pizza in Pahoa and there were several peices.