Where we live and how we think

How does the rain affect you? Here in the depths of Palolo Valley far from the concrete jungle of the city I can only think how amazingly beautiful!  The colors and forms of the mountainside are softened, the bamboo sways gently in the mist and the sounds are of running water flowing over rocks and rain sweeping down the valley in great gusts. Every day I feel blessed to be a witness to so much beauty, and it right here in my back yard. Nature envelops me and informs all the things I do, especially my art.  My life becomes a reflection of this place.  It is not incidental that my thinking, my philosophy of art making is rooted in my surroundings.

This is old Hawaii and I feel the power of the place.  This rain is spilling  over the ridge top and being driven by Trade Winds gathering  force over thousands of miles of open ocean. And I am right at the apex, the confluence of an unlikely island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and global wind and ocean currents.  It is a rare privilege  to live in a modern metropolis like Honolulu and to be completely absorbed by the ancient Aina of the land. How could I not be bold with so much power all around me? It is a robust place that leads to robust art.  Hawaii may not be the center of the art world but it very well may be the center of the world.  It is essential that we are a part of a larger picture than just ourselves. Where that sense of connection comes from varies but somehow we need to belong.  When we know a place at an intuitive level, we are empowered.