As we say in Hawaii, “She get em.” Guess who received her first piece of original art today…Amanda Joy, gosh I love this girl. An abstracted woodcut landscape of our home, Maui. Look closely and you can see the pineapple fields, the mountains, the rising sun, and even the HC&S Sugar Mill smoke stack that daily cuts through the island’s horizontal landscape.

Maui is a place I know we both hold near and dear to our hearts, as we study on the east coast.  There is so much to recognize about our home (besides the deliciousness of Tom’s Mini Mart chili dogs) and how it has affected us as growing artists. We were warmly embraced by our high school art community (aka Flat Sato), that continues as the bond that holds us together today. Amanda, I hope you know that even though you have been away for so long, in my mind, you’re always that monkey in the “HAPA” shirt, drawing with the pen and ink in her sketchbook, who can return at anytime because let’s face it, you’re naturally tan and no one will even know you were away. Maui misses you, but now, you have a piece that will be a reminder to look at everyday.