A former lifeguard for the County of Kauai, he is also a crewmember of the Polynesian Voyaging Canoe Hokule'a and a builder of Kauai's Voyaging Canoe Namahoe. Keala displays incredible insight, his artwork provides such intricate details of Hawaii's traditional cultural artifacts and practices. Very rare is it that your artist is also a Voyager, recreating the adventures of his ancestors aboard Hawaii's most famous voyaging canoe. His voyages aboard Hokule'a has taken him to Japan, Palmyra Atoll and the Malama Honua Worldwide Voyage throughout the South Pacific Islands of Tahiti, French Polynesia, Cook Islands, American Samoa, Australia, and the East Coast of America from Virginia to Miami Florida. His artwork hangs in the homes of the most influential people in Hawaii's voyaging history. His canoe art is frequently seen as a dominant cultural symbol not only in Hawaii but throughout Polynesia and has directly touched and enriched the lives of people throughout the world.
Artist Bio
Keala Kai
Writing an artist bio is personally one of the hardest things for me to do. It starts from humble beginnings of a grandfather who put a pencil in my hand, from an elementary art teacher who caught me drawing on my school desk and through kindness and compassion she never turned me in to the proper authorities. My art is an accumulation of inspirations of so many extraordinary people, my art survives today because it focuses on the very core of the Hawaiian Culture. To the Polynesian Voyaging Society, I would like to express my fondness appreciation in helping me through my greatest voyage of all, the voyage of Life and the voyage to know oneself. To John Kruse, Dennis Chun, Nainoa Thompson, Bruce Blankenfeld, Onohi Paishon, Kalepa Babayan, Billy Richards and all my crew mates, through all the miles and all the smiles and all the storms, thank you for allowing me your shoulders to stand on. To Hokule'a, thank you for always bringing us home safely and to Diane Hughes for putting up with the ups and downs of an artist and who also never stopped believing in me. It is because of all of you that I have a stage, when I pick up my pencil, in my heart I will always pick up the "Mana" of all of you.
"Each of my creations are deep personal emotional expressions of what I feel. To understand my art is to understand the very unique and special culture I represent. My drawings are my voice." ~Keala Kai
Mrs. Agena
The year is 1972, my elementary art teacher Mrs. Roberta Agena catches me drawing a race car on my desk during class.
On the very next day, as all of us students walk single file through her classroom door, Mrs. Agena deliberately guides me to an empty chair in the middle of the front row. Once everyone is situated and settled in, Mrs. Agena in all seriousness begins, "May I have all of your attention please -- the class assignment for today is how to properly shade objects in light and shadows".
She then casually lifts the projector screen and on the chalkboard behind it are the wheels of my yesterday's race car. She had drawn it in orthographic projection and shaded it to perfection. And it was at that very moment I wanted to learn to draw like that --- The rest is history.
Yes! We meet many teachers throughout our school years and we each have that one teacher in our life that stands volumes above the others.
Mrs. Agena --- Thank you for being such an inspiration in my artistic journey, without you there wouldn't be a Keala Kai the Artist. There is never an art piece that I create that I don't hear your voice. You are and forever will be my favorite teacher. --- Keala Kai
Contact Keala Kai Art
Reach out to me for inquiries about my paintings, model canoes, or pencil drawings. I look forward to connecting with fellow art enthusiasts!