Aloha Art Update #4 : July 2006

Aloha,

It's the summer here in Maui, which, surprisingly makes a difference. The sun sets at 7:30, earlier than for most of you in the mainland, but still, we had our longest day by almost 2 hours on the solstice. The whales are long gone. The nights on the beach are warmer. I spent my first sunset ever at Baldwin Beach last Saturday, drinking a beer with a friend and jumping in the soft golden transluscent-blue water as the sun went down (where I took this picture). Sometimes, it's the most simple things that reconnect us to the paradise we live in.

Maui offers so much magic, it is sometimes ironic how much of a challenge it can be to crack the surface.

Many who arrive in Maui hardly leave their hotel. And why not? It's perfectly unwinding. Why get beyond the pure medicine of just being in Maui? But others are drawn to a deeper experience, something to move them into a greater sense of the magic. This issue is dedicated to those who want to learn some skills and get beyond the normal tourist experience.

Mahalo (Thank you),
Gabriel Mott

Flowers in Maui?
Botanical Gardens
The Flower Series is my own expression of flowering on Maui. For those of you that haven't had a chance to see the new paintings, this is some of my best work, and my first released since moving to Maui.

This island is home to some of the most beautiful gardens in the world, for those who want to stroll among the beauty of actual flowers, try one of these botanical gardens: National Tropical Botanical Garden, Enchanting Floral Gardens, Maui Nui Botanical Gardens
# The Flower Series Gallery


Little Beach, Makena
Gettin' Tribal on a Sunday Afternoon
Every Sunday as the sun goes down, a collective holler goes out from Little Beach in Makena. Sometimes as many as one hundred people from all walks of life gather to play drums and dance. Once it's dark, fire dancers light up their poi, staffs and any other contraptions that can be lit on fire and spun around. The effect is at once, simple, exotic and beautiful. To get there, just be prepared to hike over a lava rock wall (the path isn't so bad) on the north end of Big Beach.

Fire Dancing Classes
Learn Improvisational and Traditional Body Movement With Poi
When my new roommate Greg who moved here from North Carolina exclaimed that he was seeing fire dancing for the first time, it reminded me that for many it is still a new artform. Maui is a hotbed for firedancers and one of the best on the island is Krissy Kopp who was featured in my movie Mystical Street Art. She offers classes for all levels twice a week through her company, Groovement Productions.
# Groovement Productions: Fire Dancing Classes
# Mystical Street Art Show: The Movie

Flower Four
Extracting Layers from The Flower Series
Each painting from The Flower Series was created with the same process, some of which was documented. I started with pen outlines, poured on acrylic and sprinkled color resin. With Flower Number Four, I've dropped the first seven layers into a flash document on my blog so you can click through the progression.
# Blog: Click through Flower Four's progression
# The Flower Series Gallery

Capoeira on da Islands
Dance, sing, clap, play, stretch, strengthen... a martial art?
As the root of break dancing when it came to NY in the late 1970's, Capoeira is definitely funkyenough. A number of Capoeira centers have popped up all over the island, but I've been learning with professor Guga at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center (The MACC). The art form is rooted in the culture of Brazilian slaves and combines martial arts, music and dance. Capoeira is an art in the complete sense of the word, it is a tool for transformation. Professor Guga playing Capoeira is on the right in the photo. Class is held every Monday and Thursday, beginners are welcome.

African Drumming at Paia Bay
Exhaust Your Hands While You Enrich Your Soul
Nestled in between Paia Bay and Baldwin Beach, Master dundun and djembe player, Rickyshy, leads a drum circle that practices African Drums. The dunduns are big drums played with sticks, the bass is close to 3 feet high creating such a deep tone it vibrates your body. All are welcome, but the first lesson in the drum circle is "don't stop til it's over" so be ready to gain some endurance.



As always, I thank you for your support. Let me know what you think of the Flower Series. Previous work is available in the gallery section of the website and I encourage you to consider acquiring a painting. I'll include more about the local art galleries and the art world in general in future Aloha Art Updates. I welcome your feedback.

Coming Soon, "The Box Set" a new series of dimensional paintings.

email: g(at)funkyenough.com
phone: 808-250-4825
web: http://funkyenough.com