"Kawela Bay"

“Kawela Bay” North Shore, Oahu

By Bill Braden

Wherever we exhibit on the North Shore, whether a gallery, an art fair or some other cultural event, we get the question, “Bill, do you have a print of Kawela Bay?”  Because we usually have a backlog of commissioned work to finish, unless someone contracts us to make a painting it is unlikely that a particular view will get painted, no matter the popularity.   So it was a very happy occasion when North Shore Community Land Trust’s Executive Director, Blake McElherny, asked us to depict this beloved place.  The cause was to help with the effort to purchase and preserve Kawela Bay, an endeavor spearheaded by Governor Linda Lingle.  What was unexpectedly, remarkable for us, in painting this scene was the contrast between the left side, with the houses and the right side, with no houses.  Even though the houses seem tucked away within the landscape, it was more laborious to depict the houses, lawns, the somewhat domesticated left hand view as compared to the right side.  The right side has no visible man made objects and the wildness of the growth made for a more free flowing ease rendering.  In fact, my wife, Jinny, and I had to make an extra visit to help us figure out just what was going on (spatially) with the left side.  And at that we weren’t able to walk to the point, shown on the left side of the center panel, because it felt like we would have to trespass “private property” to get there.  It would sure be nice if the left side of Kawela Bay could also be made accessible!’  One half the proceeds of the original painting will go to The Campaign To Save Turtle Bay, administered by the Trust for Public Land, Hawaiian Islands Program.  The Ko‘olauloa-North Shore Alliance, which consists of over 20 local community organizations, supports the Campaign to Save Turtle Bay.