THE
ART STUDIO
ALOHA
Welcome to my studio. I hope you find your visit here a pleasant
one. Take your time and just sit back and relax for a few minutes
and let your mind slip into Hawaiian time....
The first series I will be showing you are paintings I did of
The Royal Birds of Ancient Hawaii, then you
will see other birds that are found on our beautiful paradise. I will keep
adding to the list as I finish my paintings.
Enjoy.......
All the pictures you see here are also
reproduced from the origianal paintings into prints, note cards and T-shirts.
If interested in any of these items, contact me through my e-mail address
at the end of this page. I plan to put on an order form in the future,
but for now, just contact me and I will get back to you with all the information.
Thanks for being so patient.....
Please note: The artist maintains
all print and publishing rights to the paintings you see here. They
may not be reproduced without the artists written permission. Thank
you.
The
Royal Birds of Ancient Hawaii
The Kauai 'Amakihi
A common native forest bird which can be recognized by its yellow-green
plumage and long, sharply pointed beak. The 'Amakihi is believed
to be extinct on Lana'i.
The feathers of birds were the most valued possession of the ancient
Hawaiians. Nobility wore lustrous cloaks, capes, and helmets intricately
woven with feathers. Women of royal rank, the ali'i, adorned themselves
with feathered lei worn about the head or neck. Certain ancient Hawaiian
God images were fashioned from the finest feathers. Interestingly,
the birds were not killed. They were captured, pluck only of their
best feathers, and released to be caught again.
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The Apapane
The 'Apapane is an active, quick-moving bird that forages in the
forests canopy for nectar and insects. It also frequents flowering
Koa and Mamane and has been observed feeding in pines and flowering Eucalyptus.
It is best distinguished from the "I'iwi by its black bill. An excellent
place to see this beautiful species is along the trails of Koke'e State
Park, on Kauai.
The feathers of the 'Apapane were plucked and used in the Royal
feather work.
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The 'i'iwi
The 'i'iwi is fairly common on Kauai in native forests above 2,000
feet.
Very rare on Oahu and Moloka'i. (Listed by the State of Hawaii
as endangered on both islands. No longer occurs on Lana'i)
Calls of the 'i'iwi are loud and squeaky, much like a "rusty hinge".
'i'iwi feathers were used extensively in Hawaiian feather work and this
bird is often referred to in ancient chants.
The birds were caught by the royal bird catchers
putting sticky pine pitch on the branches near the flowers that
the 'i'iwi would frequent for nectar.
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The Hawaii 'O'O
This bird is a necter-feeder in the lofty
branches of the forest canopy. The name is in imitation of the loud,
harsh oh-oh call it made. The brilliant yellow feathers were extensively
used by the native Hawaiians to make the beautiful royal featherwork.
The royal bird-catchers used a sticky substance spread on the branches
of an ohia tree to trap this bird, plucked som of the yellow feathers and
released the bird.
It is believed that this bird, along with
many other Hawaiian birds, could not adapt to the environmental changes
and avian diseases brought by the Europeans, Americans and Asians.
Also, the continued hunting of the bird even when it was scarce combined
to help bring this beautiful bird to extinction. There is some hope,
however slim, that a few 'O'O may still survive in very remote areas of
the island.
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Kaua'i 'O'O
This bird is found on the Island of Kauai'i
only, where it is critically endangered and possibly extinct. No
evidence of nesting has been observed since 1973.
The "O'o's song is melodious and flute-like.
It is an active, agressive bird that is continually on the move.
It feeds on nectar from 'ohi'a and other blossoms and fedends flowering
trees from other birds. It also searches for worms and grubs in moss.
The yellow theigh feathers of the 'O'o were very important in Hawaiian
royalty featherwork.
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Hawaii Mamo
The beautiful crocus-yellow feathers found
on the thighs, rump and lesser coverts of the Hawaii Mamo were used in
the remarkable feather capes and leis worn by the native Hawaiian nobility.
The famous cloak of Kamehameha I, which was
made over the course of deckads before being completed in his reign, was
made entirely of Mamo feathers. This cape can be seen in the Bishop
Museum.
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[NOTICE - THERE ARE MORE PAINTINGS OF THE
BIRDS OF ANCIENT HAWAII TO BE SCANNED IN. STILL IN PROGRESS........]
Birds
of Hawaii
The Red Crested Cardinal
Introduced from South America around 1930.
This cardinal frequents parks, lawns, and open forests and will
frequent bird feeders. It forages on the ground for seeds, plant
matter, insects, and fruit. The immature bird is like the adult except
the head and crest are brown and the bill is black.
===============================================
The Cattle Egret
Common on Kaua'i with Heronries near Kilauea Point. Introduced
from Florida in 1959 to help control insect pests. Often found near
or sitting on Cattle and Horses. This small white heron has yellowish
legs and bill. Adult birds in breeding plumage display a buff or rusty
wash on crown, breast, and back and also have dark orange bill and legs.
Immature birds have greenish black legs and bill.
==============================================
The Pueo
Short-Eared Owl
This Hawaiian owl inhabits
dry forests and rain forests, but are most often seen hunting in
grassland.
As depicted here by the artist,
the owl has it's back to you with it's head turned completely backwards,
a hunting ability that is shared with most owls. The Pueo often hovers
while hunting for rodents and insects. This owl rarely hunts birds.
The Pueo was worshipped as a god and revered as a guardian spirit by the
ancient Hawaiians and by modern people alike.
The waterfall setting that
this bird is shown in is the waterfall in Wainiha Valley at the beautiful,
lush north end of Kauai.
===================================================
The Moa
Red Junglefowl
Today's Moa, the descendants of birds brought to the islands by
the first Hawaiians, were once widespread. They now survive only
on Kauai. Truly wild Junglefowl are retiring birds of dense rain
forests. The true Red Junglefowl can also be seen at Koke'e Lodge
and Museum. They feed on leaf litter, scratching for seeds, fruits,
and invertebrates.
You can easily tell the wild Moa from domestic fowl by the legs.
The Moa's legs are black or gray and the domestic chicken's legs
are yellow or orange. The Junglefowl is also a very good flyer, and can
fly much like the mainland pheasant.
This painting also shows Bali Hai mountain in the background.
Bali Hai is a Hollywood name that was used for a movie and stuck.
This is not a Hawaiian word because the Hawaiian alphabet does not have
the letter "B" in it. Bali Hai is located near the end of the road
on the north end of Kauai as you travel toward beautiful Ke'e beach.
=================================================
The Nene
(Hawaiian Goose)
The Nene is the State bird of Hawaii.
This bird can be found on Hawai'i (Hawai'i
Volcanoes National park, Mauna Loa, Pu'u 'Wa'awa'a) and Maui (Haleakala
National Park) and Kaua'i.
The Nene frequent scrubland, grassland, golf
courses, and sparsely vegetated volcanic slopes and on Kaua'i in open lowland
country and Koke'e Region of Waimea Canyon.
This magnificent bird was on the brink of
extinction, but through the far sighted efforts of the British Wildfowl
Trust in England, who took two birds out of a flock that numbered only
30 there are now over 730 Nene geese on the Hawaiian islands. There is
still much to be learned about this bird and its existence in the wilds.
Even though the programs results are successful, we must still keep a watchful
eye on the Nene.
To give you some perspective on the numbers
we are talking about here, in the eighteenth century there were approximately
25,000 Nene geese on Hawaii. Due to mans intrusion on its breeding
grounds, but mostly, because of mans greed and hunting this birds for its
meat which was sold, we almost lost this bird that is unique only to the
Hawaiian Islands.
PLEASE KEEP IN MIND.....
EXTINCT IS FOREVER......
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Pueo
Short-Eared Owl
This Hawaiian owl inhabits dry forests, rain forests, but are most
often seen hunting in grassland. As depicted here by the artist,
the owl is perched on an old fence post, watching for a rodent or insect,
which will be his next meal.
Many times the Pueo often hovers while hunting. This owl
rarely hunts birds.
The Pueo was worshipped as a god and revered as a guardian spirit
by the ancient Hawaiians. People of the so-called modern world, still attribute
these same qualities to this stately bird.
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The White-Rumped
Shama
The Shama was intentionally introduced to
Kaua'i in 1931. The Shama is considered by many to be the most gifted
song bird on the islands.
The song has a loud and clear, beautiful
rich quality, with a good variety of phrases. The Shama is also a
gifted mimic and can minic the calls and songs of other birds.
These spectacular birds are very territorial
and usually stay well hidden in dense vegetation so you generally hear
them rather than see them.
Mahalo for visiting.
You can see more about the art studio by logging onto www.hawaiiantriangle.com
and http://planet-hawaii.com/kauaichamber.
http://www.webring.com/cgi-bin/webring?ring=hui;list
If you have comments or suggestions, email me at dmiller@hawaiian.net
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