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I was born and raised in Hawai'i on the island of O'ahu, but have always had a love affair with the Garden Island of Kaua'i . My father was born and raised here, and our family spent many summers in the valley near the ocean where he was born (literally). We fished and swam almost every day, and with no television, evenings were spent with the family playing board games, cards, reading, and listening to adventurous stories about my renegade grandfather. I treasure those days and remember wanting to live on Kaua'i forever.
I don't recall a time not drawing. Mom and dad brought home piles of scratch paper from work for my endless sketching, and there was a giant chalkboard on the patio that I could spend hours on just drawing away. All through school, I was labeled "the artist" creating posters, shirt designs, sports ribbons, and being the cartoonist for the school paper and swimming team.
I don't recall a time not drawing. Mom and dad brought home piles of scratch paper from work for my endless sketching, and there was a giant chalkboard on the patio that I could spend hours on just drawing away. All through school, I was labeled "the artist" creating posters, shirt designs, sports ribbons, and being the cartoonist for the school paper and swimming team.
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As a young adult, I moved to Los Angeles to seek my fortune (forget the fame), and instead received an appreciation of the islands so deep that I spent the next 11 years trying to figure out how to return home for good and still make a living. (There were no computers or e-mail back then.) I had started off in the corporate world before being rescued and introduced to more "artsy" endeavors. I hardly needed an excuse, but being at the epicenter of a 6.0 magnitude earthquake in '87, sent me packing my bags! And that's how I ended up back in the islands and the place of my childhood dreams. It wasn't long before I discovered a whole new clientele on O'ahu that was interested in original artwork, and better yet, freelancers, which meant I could work from home! With the advent of home computers and e-mail, working from home was ideal--- I expanded into different fields and best of all, got to raise my son in this beautiful place and be there for all of his school activities and sporting events.
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So here I am, living my dream-- doing what I love and living where I've always wanted to be. Kaua'i inspires and heals... no matter what sort of day I'm having, all I have to do is peek out the window and be filled with gratitude. I thank God for blessing me so deeply, and hope that you allow me to share my blessings with you!
