‘ELE‘ELE — The driver of a big pickup truck stopped after entering the ‘Ele‘ele Shopping Center Sunday through the west entrance.
“You done good, brudda,” he paused to say before continuing to his destination.
Muralist Seth Womble was completing a mural he started on a retaining wall on Kaumuali‘i Highway on the opposite side of the center.
“I’m not parking my truck on that side,” Womble said of the mauka side of the highway. “Today is the last day of this project. The Department of Transportation come Monday to pick up the safety cones that were used as warnings to motorists while I worked on the mural for the past week. And yet, there were at least four cars that ran over the cones.”
Funding for the mural featuring endangered birds is supported by a grant from Aloha ‘Aina through the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority, the Hawai‘i Community Foundation and private donor Dale Haver.
“Helen Raine of the Archipelago Research and Conservation helped me with the grant,” Womble said. “We had to have the proposal approved by the Hawai‘i Department of Transportation. That took the longest time before we could start on July 11.”
Womble said other people supported the project, like GP Roadway Solutions, which provided the safety cones and shoulder-work signage, Chara Hoe with Kuleana Contractors for helping with preparing the wall, and Jeff Vegas who allowed the workers to use his water to wash the wall.
“I hope that by bringing these beautiful animals into our day-to-day view, that more attention will be given to their need for our care and stewardship,” Womble said.
“This 1,300-square foot wall is a ‘quick read’ for drivers to get a larger-than-life glimpse of some of our special endangered birds, including the Newell’s shearwater, or ‘a‘o, the Koloa maoli duck, and the Hawaiian stilt, or Ae‘o. These birds are depicted over a simple landscape representing their natural habitat of ocean and wetlands to the mountains. The hands releasing ‘rescued’ Newll’s shearwater for a second chance at life belong to kumu Sabra Kauka from her annual release of rescued and rehabilitated birds.”
A full production video is currently in the process of being released on Womble’s YouTube page at www.youtube.com/sethcre8s.
Womble eyed the pedestrian bridge foundation in the ‘Ele‘ele Shopping Center.
“If I can find the funding, this would be my next project,” Womble said. “The (covered up) graffitti that’s there? The same guy who tagged it had three other tags on the wall before I started. We cleaned it up before starting.”
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
Mahalo and the mural is absolutely beautiful! What a great use of public space. Look forward to the YouTube video. A real contribution to not only the community but the entire island. Mahalo mahalo mahalo!