A "Mountain" of Lava - Revisited

 

TREES TREES TREES!

Read about Ohia trees 

Hawaii Artists -- Phil and Lunel Haysmer

Our new home in the small community of Volcano on the Big Island is surrounded by a beautiful ohia tree forest filled with nectar producing lehua blossoms loved by our native birds. Occasionally, while we are landscaping we come across an old root from a dead tree. Phil had found one two years ago and he has been waiting to see what it "wants to be." A few weeks ago this rather gnarly root "spoke" to him and it said -- "I AM KAMAPUA'A" -- and Phil took up the challenge to "find him" in there!  Here's the result. The stand is made from curly koa tree wood. 

Not shown here (but in many previous blogs) are many of Phil's hand carved and painted bas relief featuring many of Hawaii's flora and fauna as well as traditional navigational canoes. A large selection of these are featured prominently at the Michael Jayme Gallery Honaka'a -- a charming town north of Hilo.  (520 279 7462)

 

Phil Haysmer Art

500 sf of art space

Phil painting carved piece

When we moved into our new home in Volcano Village on the Big Island of Hawaii last year, our first priority was building an art studio where, during these winter months, we've been spending a lot of time.

The whole family hangs out in the art studio where we have huge windows for natural light, an energy efficient propane heater and Pandora tunes to sing along with. Our three corgi dogs also like to hang out with us in the studio.

Commission piece - Canoe of Women

Completed 'Alala - Hawaiian Crow
carved in Monkey Pod Wood

"click" on any photo to enlarge

Gluing support board to 'Alala piece

Since the outbreak of Covid19, we've been staying home more -- making more time for art. Here are some photos of Phil in his art space as well as some of the process that goes into his pieces.

Koa Wood - 'Alala

Phil has been having fun exploring relief work in a variety of local woods and has been selling his pieces, both through his galleries as well as through some commission pieces.

Hawaii Island conservation groups have been working to re-introduce the near-extinct Hawaiian Crow to it's native forests so two of Phil's latest pieces are of the 'Alala
 -- Learn more about the 'Alala

A Place for Artists!

Coral with pale green trim

Everyone who knows us, knows we are artists who need a place to play. Friends and blog followers also realize that we each lost amazing art-spaces when our home was destroyed in May last year.

Phil had the space of a two-car garage for all his stacks of Hawaiian hardwoods like koa, mango, monkeypod, silkoak, milo -- and, of course all his tools. Lunel had a large art studio with big windows and cupboards and drawers filled with her art journals and supplies.


Our charming new coral-colored home in Volcano was a perfect choice except for the fact that it did not have adequate art spaces. We have been blessed to meet several local builders who are now creating that space where our creativity can bloom again. All three men live aloha and live right here in Volcano. One lives on our street, one actually built our house in 2006 and another has had projects right here on our street too. Talk about good luck!!

Color Names:  HAVEN, RAVISHING CORAL
and QUIET CORAL --- HENNA

Phil sketched the elevation and floor plan, and in just three weeks, the project is well under way. Next came the fun part of selecting colors. We wanted the new building to complement the house, so here's what we came up with. The colors will be reversed: pale green for the outside walls and corals as the trim and deck in rich henna.

As we approach the one-year anniversary of our loss, it will be exciting for us to watch this get built. Phil's space will be in one half and Lunel's will be in the other half. There will also be a large, covered front porch/deck area.

What a great way to celebrate the arrival of SPRING!!

Giving Thanks

HAPPY THANKS GIVING ALL!  We know it's been a long time since our last update.  Phil haS been very busy trying to keep up with the sales of his beautiful hand carved koa reef fish, and has even had a couple of special orders.  Lunel continues to find pleasure in manicuring the gardens and flower beds around the property. While it is cooler here at 3500 ft elevation, when the sun is out -- it is very pleasant to be outside (with long sleeves.)

She also continues to add pages to her art journals and is now working on #3.

The Corgyn have been supervising the goats as they are led from one grazing pasture to another -- and this week -- they were just on the other side of the back yard fence -- and a constant source of entertainment.

This last week Lunel was practicing a beautiful Hawaiian chant (oli) of thankfulness -- "Oli Malaho." She learned it a couple years ago while attending an informal language class. Words and translation are below.  If you'd like to listen here's the link:
   OLI MALHAO CHANT





WE DO HAVE OTHER NEWS -- but it is still under wrap, so be patient and we will tell all, soon!!

Unprecedented Geological Lava Event

Tropicbird - Koa'E'kea flying at Kilauea by Kietrich Varez 

Aloha to all you faithful blog followers! So much is happening in our lives right now, it is hard to keep on track with all the various "fronts," many of which may take weeks yet to resolve: Health, Insurance, SBA low interest loans, FEMA grants, reality check of monthly budget, living expenses, possible rent expenses, trying to creatively approach back-up plans, and secondary back-up plans in worst-case scenarios.

Perhaps the most difficult issue for us is NOT hearing from our insurance company it has been weeks and by law they are supposed to respond within 15 days. Not even knowing whether we are covered or not is creating highly stressful anxiety. Lunel is on various anti-seizure meds and some for anxiety and depression. Driving is out, so Phil is doing a lot of the driving and leg work with FEMA etc., while Lunel works on-line and phone negotiating appointments and meetings

AND, in the meantime, staying focused on NOW and living with gratitude that we are staying in a comfortable place, we have the comfort of our three corgi dogs, and we are eating well, staying in touch with friends near and scattered, and that we both have some minimal artistic distractions for ourselves.

All lava from Kilauea and Pu'u O'o now flowing at Fissure #8

Additionally, we are so thankful for the many kinds of contributions we have received from people we know, and many we don't. With them, we have been able to replace Phil's tools, replace toothbrushes, clothes, prescriptions, extra emergency cell phone, file folders to keep paperwork, and just the simplest things of every-day life.

Here's an interesting graphic that simplifies how the collapse of Halema'um'u inside caldera is pushing lava out through tunnels and up in --- yep, our front yard through Fissure #8. (You can scroll down to May 25th blog entry for close up photo of our property and lava.)




Health: We are dealing with medical issues for Lunel of course. Meeting with neurologist this last week has resulted in more tests like EEG (which for some reason was not done at the hospital before this!) Also, she's being referred to a cardiologist as hospital tests did show a small "thing" on one of her heart valves. Until those tests are done, she continues to take the seizure medications as prescribed. While the neurologist didn't particularly link the stress associated with 100 earthquakes the hours before to her seizure/stroke/coma event -- it is possible that the autonomic nervous system did kick in with a "shut down' of some kind. We are hoping the additional tests will provide more definitive answers.

Phil's Koa wood sculpture of Koa'E'kea bird

If you are interested in the "lava news" related to Kilauea and Halema'uma'u -- the following video, while long, provides an excellent overview of what is currently happening.  Excellent explanation of current Lava event

If you watch it, you might miss something really MAGICAL because it happens so fast. That is the video of the Tropicbird -- Koa'E'kea flying over their home -- nesting around the inside rim of the volcano! We've also included a photo of one of Phil's most recent Koa wood sculptures of this graceful bird now available for sale at One Gallery in Hilo.

If you want to watch a shorter version of the birds in flight, here is another link: Short Video of Birds Flying over Lava

Phil's Newest Art

On our very first visit to Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island of Hawaii in 2011 we saw a beautiful bird called the Koa'e Kea who nests in the cliffs around Kilauea volcano. Info - Koa'e Kea.


We also purchased art done by one of the most widely recognized Hawaii artists, Dietrick Varez best known for creating over 200 linoleum block prints. Here is one of his beautiful block prints of the white tailed Koa'e Kea -- Tropicbird. INFO: D. Varez

Phil's wood shop is loaded with wood of all shapes and sizes. Sometimes a piece of wood will wait for a long time to reveal what it wants to be -- and Phil will patiently wait for that magic to happen. In this case, a special piece of koa spoke to him and he accepted the challenge. One piece of wood was split in half to create mirror-images of grain pattern for the wings. The base is also made of koa wood.

See more of Phil's art at:
One Gallery Downtown Hilo
Banyan Gallery- Banyan Drive Hilo
and at
http://www.onegalleryhawaii.com/pgphaysmer.html

Typical Days in Phil's Week

Puna Rain Man

One of Phil's Koa Butterfly

Imagining our retirement was a pretty vague pastime before we vacationed in Hawaii in 2011 Since moving here, we have each continued to enjoy those things we love most -- our amazing corgi dogs, our independent and collaborative artistic adventures, and being outside much of the day. (Click on any photo to enlarge.)

Phil's day begins in the kitchen, making coffee and feeding the four corgyn. Phil usually spends some coffee time with morning news, checks the nearly nightly rainfall, and then heads down to his workshop full of tools. One thing we both knew when we moved -- Phil would somehow incorporate his passion for WOOD into the retirement plans.

Watch the "open space" behind Phil...

Heck ya -- they've lost their marbles

Phil has a good network of guy friends who get together regularly for guys night, dinner, darts, talk-story of favorite pastimes world travels and adventures.

But, mostly it's Puna-Talk -- solar conversions, pot holes in da road, latest prescriptions for pests, new tools and toys, (vehicles, building equipment) drone-madness, trapping feral cats, who's got pigs in their yard, and, who's got the "meanest green." (Phil marble-izing with a friend)

Phil's Newest Wood art for Gallery

Phil in his Santana T-shirt, directing

Talk includes property maintenance like cutting trees. So, recently we had our favorite tree guy over to cut down a junk tree near the front of our property that was nearly covering the wires to our house -- as well as the street lines for electricity and cable along our street.

Somewhat jokingly, the professional appointed Phil as traffic manager (like there are 17 homes on our mile stretch, so there's little to worry about -- that is, except when you invite your tree trimmer over.) Sure enough all of a sudden there's cars and people stopping, chatting, and having a spontaneous party in the middle of the block. At one time I counted 7 or 8 people!

Wall created and
windows added.
Now a sitting area

Need local gift? $29 each

And, of course, Phil continues to sell his beautiful hand carved fish made from local wood through his galleries.

A couple weeks ago Phil began to create a wall along one side of the carport -- an area that could provide an additional work and storage space. We had some left over windows from previous project, so they were used after it was framed in. After cutting siding and painting to match the house -- it looks like it was always there!

Beauty in the Eye of the Beholder

Beauty, as they say, is in the eyes of the beholders. Phil is continuing his exploration into creating winged beings, and having had good success with his butterfly (from a few posts ago - 3/2) he has just completed a moth that was inspired by one of our local moths. The wings are made from a beautifully patterned piece of koa that he carefully sliced in half to get the mirrored wing pattern; the body is from redwood, one of the few remaining pieces we brought with us from Humboldt County.

"Black Witch Moth"
(Ascalapho Odocata)
"CLICK" to enlarge

Here in Puna, on the Big Island, of course Phil has many different woods to chose from. And, while Phil's completed work is obviously beautiful -- one of the projects Lunel has recently chosen is full of beautiful potential.

One acre is 43,560 square feet, and of those square feet, approximately 85% of it has been "beautified" over the course of the last 4.5 years. That includes about 1,000 feet of boundary around the acre, and it is those edges that have been the most challenging because of the dense under-story of the forest, most of which is infested with various junk shrubs and invasive vines. But, since deconstruction is one of Lunel's favorite art passions, the tools for this "art project" include chain saw, machete, pick ax and the indispensable o'o bar.. and that is not where we go "pau hana"** - it a heavy, thick iron bar over 6' long used to break up lava. .

Before work began -- What's in there?

Ugly but full of potential beauty (Lunel says)

So....a couple weeks ago she attempted a initial excavation, without knowing what was under and/or behind an area about  12 x 10' along the south perimeter. The first photo shows the area before work began.The additional photos are anything but "beautiful" except to Lunel who seems to have no limit to her ability to both envision as well as manifest beauty using a wide range of materials.


Plans are to use this natural basin area to create either a fountain, or perhaps a waterfall. Nearby, about 30 plants, many from our ohana neighbors and friends** are waiting in pots for replanting around the water feature. (Mahalo Barbara, Geoff, Bett, Karin, Sam...and others)

OK, so maybe you can't see a fountain or a pond... (YET)

Many kinds of ti, anthuriums & ferns

Sort of like this, but only time and more creativity will tell.

We are including one photo that shows some of the potential we see, but of course the final version will be different.)  Stay tuned -- more news at 11.)

(** First, there IS a real Bar named "The O'O Bar" -- it's a Hawaiian thing. And, "pau hana" means the end-of-work, or -- a time when you might go TO a bar. (??lost in translation i think...??) 

Flutter By Butterfly

PULELEHUA (Butterfly in Hawaiian)

Sometimes Phil is having so much fun down in his tool-packed wood-work-shop I don't see him for hours...and then, I'll be walking by with a load of lava, or cinder, or green waste and he'll call out for me to "come see."  This is the second butterfly he has made, and is now working on a moth! Look's like he's found yet another creative use for his stacks of local wood...and, he's still got a few treasured pieces of redwood from Humboldt County.  The wings of this butterfly are redwood with the body in koa.

The other colorful picture is of the wild raspberries Phil picks for breakfast on his morning walk. Today we drove by to scope out the location and plan to go back with our shovels to transplant some in our yard in the shady location they seem to like.

Yesterday's task was weeding the pineapple patch of nearly 40 plants  More than half of them have baby pineapples growing already with lots of our famous white pineapple. Our lime tree is loaded, in fact all but one citrus have blossoms and we have bananas maturing too.  Breakfast anyone?

Blooms and Butterflies

For artists on the Big Island of Hawaii inspiration comes from so many places. Of course the island itself is amazing -- the volcanoes, lava, intense blue skies, big cloud formations, and all the patterns and colors of the ocean.

Just walking around the property is also inspiring. The other day Phil took the camera out to get just a FEW of the artful explosions happening and I created a montage of some of them.

He also got a photo of one of Hawaii's Monarch butterflies laying eggs on the purple Crown Flower -- which then inspired him to use a piece of koa wood to create a whimsical butterfly.

Puppies for Thanksgiving?!?!

Here's Phil with Koa -- a handsome Corgi for our Princess I'Ilani (ee ee lani).

Although they met earlier this year, their love was not consummated until this week....which means Corgi puppies for Thanksgiving.  (Not what you are thinking....we will still have TURKEY!)

Puppies!!! Puppies!!!


Some mornings, before "dad" is up, the three "kids" and I head out to the back steps to enjoy the early morning sun and a cup of tea.  The sun angle at this time of year is so magical as it moves across the yard.

Ao Pokole Poko (Short Cloud) is on the top step, Princess I'Ilani (Midget from Heaven) middle, and Reba-Bo-Beba (mom) on the lower.

The other day, Phil caught an image we think must be a garden sprite.  (Although it has been enhanced some, it did indeed have a 'bubble-like' shape with rainbow colors.)

REMEMBER:  You can 'click' on any photo for a better view.

30 Years at High Noon

Us -- then.

His ad in the personals column said he wanted a “woman who would inspire his creativity and he hers…and who was ready for the love of a lifetime." In her journal she wrote “this is a man I could spend the rest of my life with.”   That was 30 years ago!  On May 18^th we celebrated that auspicious first meeting in Santa Cruz. 

May 18^th was marked by another auspicious event here on the Big Island of Hawaii. Called “Lahina Noon,” this phenomenon is evident only in the tropics when the sun passes directly overhead and when no shadows are visible.  Because the islands are not exactly at the equator, this happens twice…once before and once after the summer solstice.  At our beautiful Imiloa Astronomy center in Hilo, the atrium window directly over this beautiful tile mosaic causes the pie shaped shadows to fall directly on the center of the design. Imiloa Astronomy Center

We celebrated with a lovely dinner on the lanai of a favorite local restaurant that featured views of BOTH Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa followed by a lively evening of live blues music by Sugar Ray & the Bluetones ***.  I decided to create an art piece for our anniversary using 15 of Phil’s hand carved koa fish that now hangs above the hot tub on our lanai.

Us - now.

So, 30 years later, we show the same wear and tear as everyone else in our age group.  We are thankful that Phil's suit coat is no longer required, and that Lunel's wedding dress featured an elastic waistband.  All in all, life is good and we feel truly blessed and grateful for 30 years we have spent together.

*** Locals!! If you don't know about Lazar Bear Productions -- check out this website!  Lazar Bear Productions