HĀ: Breath

I take so much joy conceptualizing murals when I'm able to work in a story that goes along with it. For this project, the school requested dolphins, blue, 5 Rs (Respectfulness, Responsibility, Relationships, Resourcefulness, Resiliency) and “Growth Mindset” and exemplify these values through the art, each portable should hold its own story but display the same visual identity for cohesive story telling, and DOE’s focus on Nā Hopena Aʻo (HĀ)

Whether it's branding or painting, I tend to veer away from obvious or in your face elements and tell a story instead. I work with a lot of symbolism. The ocean reflects stability and change. The dolphins represent peace and harmony. The cowrie shell represents prosperity and wealth. One of my favorite subjects are florals so I researched the Waiʻalae ahupuaʻa to find out the landʻs purpose and found early Hawaiians used the wood of the hau tree to build the outriggers of canoes, floats for fish nets, long spears for games, and for the cross sticks of kites. The fibrous inner bark of the Hau was also used to create ropes, matts, and bark cloth. This species is commonly found in the lowlands, especially on the shores, of the Hawaiian islands where it can form dense thickets.

Each of these symbols convey the 5 Rs. The first portable is a side profile of a girl breathing life and resilience into the children floating through the water as they coexist with the dolphins. I love how this story came together with each element requested by Wilson School.