Stepping out again

18 02 2022

With pandemic numbers decreasing, I ventured out of my bubble yesterday to socialize by attending two in-person gatherings —a belated birthday lunch with my friends Lori and Yo, and a meeting of the Koʻolauloa Hawaiian Civic Club.
Lori, a foodie and of a former restaurant conglomerate, knows the chef at Artizen and treated Yo and me with gift cards she wanted to use. I first met Lori at a Reiki workshop long ago where, I think, she took on the role of sous chef for the meals. I honestly don’t recall how I met Yo, perhaps through Lori, but we both spent our childhood in Wahiawa.

Me, Lori, and Yo

 

In the evening I attended the Koʻolauloa Hawaiian Civic Club dinner meeting. It was very interesting with several guest speakers informing via Zoom on a large video screen.

Guest speaker on Zoom

Approximately a dozen club members were very polite, donning face masks except when eating and sitting five- or six-feet apart, although I am pretty sure we were all vaccinated. For a special treat, Jolene and Haleaha taught us how to fashion roses out of ti leaves.

Ti leaf rose

 

 

Some members of the Koʻolauloa Hawaiian Civic Club who braved an in-person meeting and removed their face masks only for this image. I am not in the picture because I’m the photographer.


Someone doled out thoughtful parting gifts of COVID-19 Antigen Home Tests and hand sanitizer. I love my Hawaiian civic club.

Be well. Love,

Rebekah


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Categories : About me, Food, Friends & Family, Hawaiian

Impressive impressions

10 02 2022

Gallery ʻIolani on the campus of Windward Community College in Kāneʻohe, Oʻahu, is the spacious venue dedicated to the current Windward Artists Guild exhibit. The entrance to the show space is from the lobby of Palikū Theatre.

“Impressions/Expressions” runs until March 4. I stopped by yesterday with a friend to take a look, and, wow, I am proud to be a member of this art group.

Many thanks to Antoinette Martin, the gallery director who designed the show, and to Lauren Faulkner, the awards juror.

More than 100 artworks from 38 people—both recognized professional artists and newcomers to the art community—are in the fine-art display.

An artists reception for the public is scheduled for 4 to 7 p.m. on Friday, February 11. COVID vaccination protocols will be in effect.

Below are photos of pieces by me and my friends Dorothy Brennan and Bernadette Chan.

“Crater View” hand-dyed tissue-paper collage at right, by me.

Ceramic vases by Bernadette Chan

“The Committee” tissue-paper collage by Dorothy Brennan

 

I hope you will come to see the art show!

~Rebekah


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Categories : About me, Fine Art, Friends & Family, Travel, Uncategorized

Thankful for “old” friends

2 11 2021

It was time to move my office and study hall from the dining table, so I spent the better part of yesterday tidying. I dusted, cleaned, and stacked shelves of books floor to ceiling, stopping periodically to remember old friends.

Ted has been around a long time; he was my father-in-law Walter’s bear, I’m told.

Then this photo of Haunani-Kay Trask, Al Piʻikea Miyamoto and me from about 30 years ago turned up. Both girl friends have passed over, but I/we remember them dearly.

Ted

Haunani-Kay, Piʻikea and Rebekah

Be well, dear reader. I am thankful for you.
~ Rebekah


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Categories : About me, Friends & Family, Memoir

ʻInamona my way

15 09 2021

The Pukui-Elbert Hawaiian dictionary defines ʻinamona as “n., Relish made of the cooked kernel of candlenut (kukui) mashed with salt (perhaps a contraction of ʻīnaʻi momona, sweet garnish).“

I read several recipes and how-to’s before coming up with my method. The process is tedious and no wonder that it is expensive to buy, if you can find it, and why Islanders revere it at luaus and pāʻina.

Fast forward from gathering the fruit that has fallen from the tree to the ground, tossing out bad ones in a float test, peeling off two layers of tough skin, and drying the nuts with their hard shells still on. This step takes days in a dehydrator; I used my closed conventional oven with only the oven light on.

When after many days the kukui nuts looked brittle, I cracked them open one at a time using small tongs to hold the nut and a hammer. Practice makes perfect. Ha!

Next is digging out the nut meat with a paring knife carefully so as not to injure. Tedious, but I wanted every last bit. The yield went into a large mixing bowl, and I chopped it all up with an ulu knife.

Chopping up raw nut meat. You could also pulse  in a food processor.

I roasted the ’inamona-to-be in a wide frying pan on top of the range on medium-low until golden. Stir constantly to avoid burning, while picking out any remaining pieces of hard shell.

Use a wide frying pan
Stir constantly to avoid burning
Look for this golden color

Turn out into another container to cool. When cooled, add salt a little at a time to taste, then store in an airtight container and refrigerate. Voila, ʻinamona! There is a Hawaiian food condiment. Just an IMPORTANT WORD OF CAUTION: ʻInamona is a laxative, so eat it sparingly!

Be well.

~ Rebekah


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Categories : About me, Food, Hawaiian

How did it begin for you?

20 06 2021

I had a lovely conversation yesterday with a man, an M.D., at the art reception. He was the spouse of one of my painting students. He admired the hand-dyed tissue-paper collages and seemed intrigued as I explained our art group’s process of creating unique paintings with this medium.

Was I always an artist? he asked. That question made me pause. I had to think back to so long ago.

I’m a writer, I said, starting my career as a general assignment reporter for the daily news, then magazines, then university relations. I am a pen woman. The National League of American Pen Women is made up of women in letters (writing and editing), arts, and/or music (e.g., composition and arranging). What we have in common is that we all start with a blank page or canvas. When I became a Letters member, I met artists and I thought they were “cool.” I wanted to be one of them, so I took lessons.

The music element caught his ear, so to speak. What kind of music do you write? he asked. Love songs, I said. They come from my heart, and I have to be in the mood. I can’t just crank them out. This man had a gentle way of coaxing out information.

He was understanding when I told him I had developed a wrist injury from holding a paintbrush overhand for more than 30 years—the reason I switched to tissue collage. Assembling collages is quite different from painting outdoors in the landscape.

Do you still paint? he asked. Ahh, now I’m teaching painting!

He said, “It’s the same in medicine!”

Be well.

~ Rebekah

“Breadfruit,” Copyright 2018 Rebekah Luke


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Categories : About me, Fine Art, Memoir

Braving the outdoors

30 03 2021
The windward side of the Koʻolau Range as seen from Luluku, the location of Hoʻomaluhia Botanical Gardens. Plant enthusiasts, take note; everything is labeled!

A surprising number of people were in the park at Hoʻomaluhia Botanical Garden this morning where my collage art-making group gathered under the pavilion at parking lot #5 — I think the correct name is Kahua Nui — for a re-orientation, general get-together, and literally some fresh air. We met in part to talk about a “Collage and Clay” group exhibit on tap for June 2021 in downtown Honolulu. The notion of planning a scheduled in-person public event again, after a year-long hiatus because of COVID, is exciting.

L to R: Dottie, Joy, Peg, me (in jeans), Karen (in hat), Flo, Maite, Robyn, and Faye.

Joy brought coffee and sweet nibbles, Dottie brought bananas from her tree, and Peg brought ceramic objet d’art favors for us to take home. Kristi, bless her heart, presented us with small bottles of hand sanitizer for our purses. It was like old home week in the space of less than a couple hours.

Peg’s clay creation has a hole in the bottom, so I think it is calling for a plant.

I didn’t bring anything (tsk, tsk). Some of the gals brought their creations for critique as is customary, but I hadn’t made anything new in hand-dyed tissue paper for the collages in a year, so nothing by me to critique. I did remember to bring a length of white shoji paper for Maitē who needed some to depict breaking waves.

These friends used to get together weekly to make art. Soon, after we’re all fully vaccinated, we may be able to resume that schedule.

It was so nice to see everyone again.

~ Rebekah


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Categories : About me, Fine Art, Friends & Family, Travel

Overwhelmed or blah?

27 03 2021


Are you feeling overwhelmed or blah? It’s a yes or no question.

The flyer above tells of the program “COVID 19, Vaccinations, and Kanaka Maoli,” live at 6 pm HST, Sunday, March 28, on Facebook@KaLahuiHawaiiKomikeKalaiana with Lorraine Sonoda-Fogel, MD, and Keaweaimoku Kaholokulu, PhD. You may wish to check it out.

I see a light at the end of the year-long self-quarantined tunnel, as by Easter Sunday I will be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus and have sense of wellness. I think it’s a good time to reflect on what changed and what I might do differently. What will I resurrect after 12 months gone by?

I have made some new friends via social media, although I have not met them in person. Long-time cherished friends who I know I can ask and they’ll be here, but because we value “living,” we’ve kept apart. Oh, the small parties we can have soon.

I’ve practiced piano everyday, getting ready for that imagined time when I will play background music at that type of event where no one is really listening. I’ve been on hiatus from making fine art paintings, although my collage group is scheduled to exhibit in June in downtown Honolulu. And I’ve posted updates by writing here.

What’s been constant are the plants and animals. The flower seeds I scattered did not sprout. I suspect the birds got them. So I guess it’s back to growing vegetables. But my buddy JJ is here, as is his nemesis Snowball the pretty cat from next door, Willy the Peacock, and the Fat Dove.

I’ve condensed my living area to the lower of the two floors of the house, but realizing that this minute I think it’s time to reopen the FROG (front room over garage) studio and the upstairs guest room!

Thanks to Pete, of course, my primary rock of support! Blessings to you all.

~Rebekah

JJ and me

Snowball

Willy


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Categories : About me, Friends & Family

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