The paintings in this room are my chosen favorites or “power” pieces. They represent several key points of my career and are important for the development of future works. Here is an overview of this room.
“Mangrooves” (above mantle) is one of my most popular pieces and despite the space on the canvas, the story behind the painting goes much further. You can find a link HERE
To the right of the fireplace “Shiny” is one of the first paintings that I did with Maggie (my youngest), having watched ‘Moana’ more times than I ever thought I would, I decided to pay homage because after all my love for the ocean and Hawai’i runs deep. Behind the rock on the right you’ll see Tamatoa, a jewel loving giant crab with his eye on “The Heart of Tefiti”, the shiny green gem on the left. If you’re clever you’ll find my face and the rock peaks resemble my hair first thing in the morning. Hint: the green gem also looks like a booger under my nose. (Keep in mind it was inspired by my youngest kiddo).
Far wall, “With Love, Without” is the first large painting I did and it conveys the overall idea of the series. The accessible portion the reef lays dry and damaged and depleted but as it expands deeper and further out of our reach it begins to bloom and thrive again. Basically if we leave it alone it will repair itself. The center portion of the triptych piece in my culture is referred to as “smile now, cry later” or more commonly “comedy and tragedy” as in the joy this painting gives you is calling out the grave reality of our diminishing reefs.
Back wall right features “Bikini Reef” a painting which has a hidden feature- under black light there is a tiny version of SpongeBob and Patrick as well as some black light coral. The painting was hung vertically to show the face in the reef but more popularly shown horizontal to give the illusion of “just a reef”.
Also on the wall is “Graze it up” a painting with a pun in the name as well as a dark backstory. First, the name is a tribute to cannabis and the shocking revelation when a member of my neurological team instructed me to consume cannabis by way of edibles but to avoid the smoking of it. My entire life I’ve used cannabis and told it was bad for me, was now a big part of my medical recovery and journey. Secondly, the “dark side”, this painting was my first and last NFT, it was a miserable experience and I lost money— probably, most likely, scammed. But the painting itself is still one of my all time favorites.
“Bored” is on the wall at the entrance, it is inspired by clownfish who seek shelter in lesser populated sections of the reef i.e., the drop, but there isn’t much more than deep blue beyond that. This painting is a snapshot me from the nose up, looking in the direction of my forehead where by chance the clownfish reside amongst the highly toxic anemones.
Next, “Deep Purple” was an attempt to show what the ocean might look like at night in a prettier color. It also has a hidden meaning, there are several hands (center) inspired by Boris Koodrin, the hands are gripping the arm of a man with a long beard, that is artist Ben Agcaoili, two local artists that I admire and wanted to show love to.
Lastly, “Aqui Solito”, the most important piece of the puzzle. This painting started it all and rekindled my love for painting. It brought me and Maggie closer and allowed me to push into a new world that I could’ve only hoped for. It may sound like I’m putting it on heavy but I assure you, it means a lot to me and a few other people. One person very important to me, loved it so much that she asked me to make her another one just for her. It set the precedent for what was to come and gave me courage to continue on this path.
Comments
Post a Comment