TSA
Joined: Aug 31, 2006
Posts: 3978
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TSA
Aloha Tiki Tribe!
Today was the Mai-Tai Festival at the Royal Kona Resort here in Kailua-Kona Hawaii.
We had a great turn out. Our usual wonderful booth.
This year we showed our new towels and had magnets, stickers, calendars…but the big item
was the mugs - which we sold out of. A real feeding frenzy!
I got to paint in the open sea breeze coming off Kona Bay….real sweet!
We were proud to host some local V.I.P.s:
(L to R) Councilman Dru Mamo Kanuha, Councilwoman Karen Eoff, you-know-who, and Resort owner Jay Rubenstein.
I joked with the Council-folks that in the old Hawaiian days you'd be the Ali'i.
They chuckled, Karen said well, "Well Dru would be."
Later on, someone told me Councilman Dru Mamo Kanuha is an actual descendant of King Kamehameha the Great! (Yikes!)
Then, local music legend, Henry Kapono came by, with his family, and stocked up on lots of Tiki Swag!
I told Henry, "Hey, when-ever you got an album coming out, I'm happy help out with any cover Art!" He smiled and said
"Oh I think somethings in the works…" (Oh-Boy!! How Cool!)
That would mean I got to do art for the Tikiyaki Orchestra, The Crazed Mugs, and …oh…we'll keep our fingers crossed!
Check him out at http://henrykapono.com/bio.htm
I suggest if U dig Hawaiian music, and Rock n' Roll, try out his amazing album "The Wild Hawaiian" - it's awesome!
http://henrykapono.com/wild-hawaiian/
Lots of Tiki Tribe came by to spread ALOHA!
Big Mahalo to a certain friend and TC member for being a great Art Patron, and friend, and helping me break down the booth,
and lug all that stuff back to the TIKI X5!
He's hard core Tiki-Tribe: made the BIG move to the BIG Island!
Some of the Tiki-Tribe were well into the Mai-Tai part of the Festival by early afternoon!
But, 5-0 was on hand to keep things Pono… even got some Tiki-Swag while keeping' da' peace!
My painting "The Wanderer" received a moving tribute from the sister of the guy who the figure in the painting strangely resembles.
Big Story:
He was a local guy, everyone knew him, you always saw him on his skate, or his surf board.
In a strange turn of fate, the painting that had sat unfinished in my studio for years -
was suddenly finished when It all fell into place visually for me one day.
Later on, I found out that about that same time, the guy who has an uncanny resemblance to the figure in
the painting was surfing at a local beach & had an accident & couldn't be revived by the Paramedics.
I had just seen him the week before - I had no idea it had happened till his sister contacted me and told me
how moved she was I painted her brother's portrait - that he was truly "The Wanderer" his whole life … I was speechless
as I had no idea he had died just as I finished that piece.
Wow…
Anyways, his wife & kids, came over from Hilo, and Mary came over from Oahu - and I gave them #1 of the Giclees.
Mary draped the Giclee with a hand woven Lei she made… this was the first time they saw the piece in person and it was emotional.
I had already sold the original before I ever heard the news, or maybe I would have given her that…but no worries. I repainted the giclee slightly
giving the figure blond hair; her brother was out-side in the sun all the time... and his hair was sun-bleached. That made it resemble him
even more…….
Just another strange-tale describing the mysteries of the creative process.
Anyways…
No matter how young or old, Tiki Tribe of all ages had a blast...
...At this year's Mai-Tai fest, at this amazing, beautiful mid-century venue: The Royal Kona Resort.
http://www.royalkona.com
If you have not, you gotta' check this joint out!
It's really a classic Tiki Style Resort, being meticulously kept that way!
Did I mention they just bought another Brand New Tiki to grace their highly Tiki populated grounds? It's terrific!
(Plus, I got great parking!)
ALOHA!!
[ Edited by: Tiki Shark Art 2014-08-17 01:23 ]
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