Hauʻoli lā Moana Honua! Happy National Ocean Day!💙
Once listed as endangered species North Pacific Humpback Whale, Koholā in Hawaiian, is one good example of recovering its populations with conservation efforts; many visit Hawaiian waters during winter breeding season🐋🐳
One of the free coloring sheets for ocean loving keiki👧👦 available to download below.
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| Koholā |
Hawaiian Monk Seal is one of the most endangered seal species in the world, endemic to Hawaiian islands. One of the coloring sheets for ocean loving keiki, available for download. For more free coloring pages, go to label "free coloring page". I will make more this summer🌴😊
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| Hawaiian Monk Seal |
Making art for Hawaiiʻs children and teaching art to them🎨 is my happy place. I am so grateful for the opportunity to start teaching at Waimea Elementary School K-5th this year! I have been working on preparing for Students Art Show on May 7th. Itʻs less than a week now, but my trust is in God who has been faithfully provided me the strength, energy and everything else. All glory to Him.
Three activity books of Kai and Hōkū Explore: Food of Hawaiʻi - are completed! Collaboration with The Food Basket - Hawaiʻi Islandʻs Food Bank, these free activity books are available from dabux.org (keiki Corner)🖍
You can learn all about healthy produce in Hawaiʻi: grow them, taste them, cook them, and color them. Fun stickers are included.😊
It was a fun week of summer art camp for keiki at my studio!🎨😊 We explored painting, drawing, mixed media and paper mâché🍍🐦🌻🐳🐬 a busy and fun week!
My keiki after school art is in the 9th year!🖍🎨😊
The theme on the 4th quarter was "Spring in Hawai'i"; we learned Hawaiian plants and animals and their habitats: 'i'iwi bird, ʻohia lehua, nēnē, ʻohelo berry, happy face spider, humuhumunukunukuapuaʻa and more. Here are just few pictures of amazing work of keiki!
Thank you so much for Waikoloa Elementary School!
Aloha🌺
This week I am so honored to teach Coloring Book Project🖍 at East Hawai'i Cultural Center (Hilo, Hawai'i) for keiki ages 8 to 14. Our goal is to learn about our native plants and animals of Hawai'i, and create a coloring book together to spread awareness for sour special 'āina🏝
I created these coloring pages for your keiki to learn and cherish these animals and plants, mostly endemic (exist only in Hawaiʻi). E mālama ʻāina kākou!
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| Mālama coloring pages |
Aloha🌺
My new book "Tūtūʻs Secret" is here! Written by Gloria Blum, published by Island Heritage. The book I will remember illustrating with fond memory. I received this manuscript a few month after I became tūtū (grandmother) myself and illustrated while my husband and I drove to see her weekly to south Kona. Driving more than 3 hours round trip each week, the view and feeling of south Kona became the inspiration for this illustration. I wanted to illustrate many Hawaiian native plants and animals to communicate Tūtūʻs memories from Old Hawaiʻi, kind of the feeling I still get in south Kona.
When I first read the manuscript, I wanted to wove and celebrate the kaloʻs life cycle in my illustration (even that was not actually written in the story). I wanted to use growing kalo as a symbol of ʻohana. I wanted to illustrate the tūtūʻs wisdom that is passed on to her moʻopuna (grandchildren) still live in them and they can live the wisdom and pass on to the next generation, just like how each kalo makua (parents) plant produce many keiki plants..I hope keiki will notice a little kalo planted by tūtū and Lani in the story keep growing to the last page full of multiple kalo. Mahalo ke Akua.
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| Tūtūʻs Secret |
This weekend, I attended e book event/signing at Basically Books, for my newest illustrated childrenʻs book Tūtūʻs Secret, written by Gloria Blum, published by Island Heritage.
I met the author Gloria her husband first time, and reacquainted with many other people there! I felt so honored to participate in the event and shared the story, my illustration process with like minded people.
Mahalo nui loa for the people who hosted this event and everyone who attended. I really appreciate it for your aloha!
Aloha! 🌈🌺
I had privilege to collaborate with Hawaii's toy company Keiki Kaukau, and illustrate "Hale Laureʻa: Pop-Up Dollhouse" inspired by mid-century plantation homes in Hawai'i🏝 The book will open up to 4 rooms: lanai, kitchen, bedroom and bathroom.
I hope keiki will look for many little ethnic items of Old Hawai'i, I illustrated with great details and love and hid under flaps.
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| Hale Laureʻa: Pop-Up Dollhouse |
