Mother decided to make a room for me all my own when I was about five. It would be just a little bit down the hall from the rest of the family. and oh so nice. I remember the dainty crisscross curtains she hung at my east window
swishing quietly in the evening breeze as I crept into soft covers with Sally my favorite doll, awaiting a tucking in and family prayers. It was a perfect room for a little girl’s own space.

As I made my way through the hallway to my room, Mother had hung a large chalk drawing given to us by Uncle Guy, a favorite Uncle and fantastic artist. It was of a young girl clinging to a cross that stood towering on a large rock, as angry waves beat on the crevices of that rock. I don’t remember giving the picture too much thought at the time, only admiring its beauty and being in awe that someone could create such beauty. However thru the years, that picture kept coming back to me. In troubled times its story gave me comfort that there was help in a Power beyond. I also found myself drawn to various art work I would see. I never thought myself an artist or even tried to be, but somehow art seemed to keep knocking at my door.
I remember as an
Elementary Major in college, I found myself in a required art course that would help teach young students to be creative in the elementary classroom. We were given example of projects to teach, then we were told to buy a portfolio and produce samples of what we might do with the instructions. Suddenly. I was having a ball. There seemed to be no end of take offs I would make, but looking around the room, I found that there were others that seemingly weren’t having so much fun. This puzzled me. Well actually, when the course ended and the various projects explained, I found my portfolio bulging with my own interpretations to do with children. After this experience I began to take a more serious look at my own experience with art. I even took one of my better creations and had it commercially framed and began to paint a little myself as a hobby.

After college graduation, I accepted an Elementary Music position as there were no openings in the General Education field. That was fine with me as I had a rich background of family music and had completed a Music Minor along with a Elementary Major. However, there was no one to draw the backgrounds for the various musical we produced, but me. So once again, my expertise in art was expanded for this time, it must be publicly viewed.

Long story short, after many thus produced musicals in the public school and other private ventures in art, I decided maybe, I might have just a little side vein of Uncle Guy’s fantastic ability. So I began a more serious adventure as an artist and began selling pieces now and then. The final step was, upon coming to the island of Maui, my husband Don and I opened Kahana Fine Arts Studio, which later became Kahana School of Fine Arts. Both music and art are taught with now a promise of adding ballet.

Thank you Uncle Guy for your beautiful picture of inspiring faith and your example of artistic excellence. You started me on a truly marked pathway!


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