The hamsa (a palm-shaped amulet popular throughout North Africa and the Middle East commonly used in jewelry and wall hangings) somewhat resembles a shaka, said artist Rachel Hospodar, who has three pieces juried in the Kaua‘i Society of Artists Spring Show that is open through the end of the month at KSA gallery at Kukui Grove Center in Lihu‘e. There’s a kukui nut tree outside Sone’s delicatessen that’s still has blossom clusters, Rachel.
The hamsa (a palm-shaped amulet popular throughout North Africa and the Middle East commonly used in jewelry and wall hangings) somewhat resembles a shaka, said artist Rachel Hospodar, who has three pieces juried in the Kaua‘i Society of Artists Spring Show that is open through the end of the month at KSA gallery at Kukui Grove Center in Lihu‘e. There’s a kukui nut tree outside Sone’s delicatessen that’s still has blossom clusters, Rachel.
While at the gallery, Rachel was going over some of her designs, including the hamsa hand, that she wants to digitize so the machines can create designs for her Re-Mix Upcycle Boutique located in the same building as the Waimea post office, one of the few post offices in the postal system that decorates with lights during the holidays.
Because the hamsa is said to bring its owner happiness, luck, health and all sorts of good things like warding off evil, Rachel is trying to figure out how to meld the shaka and hamsa, similar to her Heart of Kalo that contains renderings of the human heart resembling the heart-shaped leaves of the kalo.
Meanwhile, recent retirees Greg Askew (we need more Ono Pops!) delivered some of the icy goodies to the corps of volunteers working to clear Morgan’s Ponds of all that vegetative clutter at Lydgate Park in Wailua.
MJ Akuna was the sole current county Department of Water worker in the group of Edie Ignacio Neumiller and Coach Fred Levinthol (who said we missed the hubbub at Monday’s kupuna meeting at the Kukui Grove Center food court?) who came out to hear Mayor Derek S.K. Kawakami’s State of the County address. Ggood job, Sara Blane, for letting your daughter come to such an important event, and kudos to Kamaha‘o Thronas-Haumea for coming out after appearing at the Kamehameha Schools concert and being part of the ‘ukulele circle at the E Kanikapila Kakou event at Kaua‘i Beach Resort.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 808-245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
