Featured Artists: Angela Yarber & Shelly Batha
Featured Cover Artist: Angela Yarber Rev. Dr. Angela Yarber is the artist, author, professor, and executive director of the Tehom Center, a nonprofit organization which teaches about revolutionary women through art, writing, retreats, and courses. With a PhD in art…
Talk Story with an Advertiser: Destination Hilo
Stroll along Kamehameha Avenue (Bayfront) in Downtown Hilo on the second Saturday of each month, peruse the shops, and enjoy the “HeArt of Hilo” for hula, storytelling, and music from 11am to 2pm. “HeArt of Hilo” is sponsored by Destination…
Island Treasures: Shelly Batha Art
Swimming in the ocean, hiking, yoga, and appreciating what’s around her in nature, are some of the things that inspire Shelly Batha’s art. When Shelly and her husband moved to Hawai‘i Island in 2008 from Bend, Oregon they planned for…
Hilo’s Ocean Center, Riding a Wave of Peace
By Sara Stover Tucked away at the end of Kalanianaole Avenue is a hidden gem. A haven of calm just past the hustle of Hilo’s port. “This is our classroom,” says Kalani Kahalioumi, director of special programs for Hawai‘i County’s…
Fukushima Store: Repurposing a Historical Building
By Ma‘ata Tukuafu When you walk into Union Pasifika Tattoo shop in Waimea, you are greeted with a multitude of things to look at: a dragon and tiger intertwining in a mural on the walls and ceiling, colorful artwork, vintage…
Featured Artists: Brenda Meriwether & Deborah Beaver
Featured Cover Artist: Brenda Meriwether Decorative ceramic tile artist Brenda Meriwether was influenced by the 60s culture of the San Francisco Bay area. Brenda’s mother had artistic tendencies and her brother is an amateur cartoonist—art was encouraged in their home.…
Talk Story with an Advertiser: Belinda Pate Medical Aesthetics
Belida Pate, NP-C, is a nurse practitioner who specializes in cosmetic injectables (such as Botox and Juvederm) to bring back beauty and youth. Her pride is providing absolutely natural results. She emphasizes, “Anyone can do a lot with a lot…
Island Treasures: Kipimana Hawaiian Granola Company LLC
Barbara Andersen purchased, renovated, and operated Shipman House Bed and Breakfast on Reed’s Island in Hilo for 20 years. In 1997, she had the inspiration to start serving homemade granola to her guests for breakfast because, as she explains, “I…
Featured Artists: Linda Rowell Stevens & Barbara Hanson
Cover Artist: Linda Rowell Stevens Linda Rowell Stevens moved to Hawai‘i in 1978, at age 21. She began her art career as an artist doll maker, selling her dolls in galleries. Her dolls were award-winning—even shown in a Los Angeles…
Talk Story with an Advertiser: Hilo Grow Shop
Looking for a new, locally-owned source for gardening supplies? Hilo Grow Shop welcomes everyone, from the beginner gardener to the commercial farmer. This is a place where the gardening community can come together to discuss ideas, diagnose, create, consult, and…
Hāwane Rios Shares Her Soul’s Purpose
By Ma‘ata Tukuafu The first time Hāwane Rios fully comprehended a legend told in the Hawaiian language, it touched her so deeply that she wrote a song to remember it. It is the love story between Poli‘ahu (goddess of the…
Talk Story with an Advertiser: Big Island Top Dogs
Hawai‘i is a multicultural paradise and Big Island Top Dogs puts a multicultural, local-style spin on their hot dogs, sausages, burgers, fries, and plate lunches! BITD specializes in homemade sauces and toppings which makes eating there a one-of-a-kind experience. Owners…
Hawai‘i Wai Ola Is Stepping It Up To Test Coast Water Quality
By Rachel Laderman When government can’t catch up with a pressing environmental problem, concerned residents often step in. Here on Hawai‘i Island, water quality equates to quality of life, yet the state Department of Health (DOH) Clean Water Branch has…
Hawaii Brown Bag Ministry: Helping Hearts, Serving Our Community
By Lara Hughes Helping people is a common theme that both John and Theresa Kaiwi have enjoyed throughout their lives. Theresa and John run Hawaii Brown Bag Ministry, in Hilo. John graduated from Kamehameha Schools and University of Hawai‘i at…
Kākau: The Nearly Lost Art of Hand-tapped Polynesian Tattoos
By Star Bolton The Polynesians were a seafaring people who navigated the seas and settled in several of the islands of the Polynesian triangle (the Hawaiian Islands being at the top most northern point). The further south you travel, you…
Holualoa Gallery: A 30-Year Retrospective with Matthew & Mary Lovein
By Kristina Anderson For more than 30 years, Matthew and Mary Lovein’s Holualoa Gallery anchored the center of this small art hamlet in the lush upcountry of Kailua-Kona. Not only was the gallery location central and highly visible, the Loveins…
Pana Jones: From Ocean Waves to Airwaves
By Sara Stover “I’d say I wanna go back to my little grass shack but I’m already hereAin’t no disappearing, for me it’s clearI’m on a high, livin’ life aquaticSpear into my crystal, my blue simplistic, tropical, unique, diverse, exquisite……
Featured Artists: Suzy Papanikolas & GP Merfeld
Featured Cover Artist: Suzy Papanikolas Suzy Papanikolas’s paintings grab your attention immediately. While visually stunning with their vibrant colors and textures, they are most remarkable for their sense of drama and the window they open into the emotions of those…
Talk Story with an Advertiser: Kawika’s Painting
As a young man, David Dunham, founder and president of Kawika’s Painting, thought “There’s nothing more important than an education;” however, he faced a major obstacle in the pursuit of his dream—lack of funding. To overcome this problem, David painted houses while getting…
Talk Story with an Advertiser: IMI Clinics
Dr. Joanna Smith has many well-deserved credentials following her name. She owns IMI Clinics, also known as Integrated Medicine Institute. IMI is Hawai‘i Island’s medical center for wellness, esthetics, and preventive health. Opened in 2018, IMI is the first practice…
Featured Artists: GP Merfeld, Richard Koob, & Arthur Johnsen
Featured Cover Photographer: GP Merfeld In the 11 years since being featured on Ke Ola Magazineʻs first cover, GP Merfeldʻs passion has continued with his Portraits of a Culture project, concentrating on the activities and events unique to our islands,…
Talk Story with an Advertiser: Uncle Tilo’s Clean Water LLC
It is very important that those using water from a rain catchment or well system understand all the potential dangers and benefits. Uncle Tilo’s Clean Water LLC is the shared vision of Todd Lolla and Kathy Archer, both residents of…
Tūtū Lanakila Manini: A Hula Gem and Hawaiian Music Renaissance Torchbearer
By Lara Hughes Hose Lanakila Manini, known to many affectionately as Tūtū (grandpa) “Kila” Manini, has been singing and playing Hawaiian music for more than 50 years. Kila, who turns 89 in 2020, got his musical start in 1966 in…
Kai ‘Ehitu: An Outrigger Team Remembers Its Roots and Its Papa
By Sara Stover “Never forget your roots,” Puamaile Kimitete insists. Her mother Augustine, sister Healani, and brother Richard all nod their heads in agreement. “Even though he lived in Hawai‘i for over three decades, Papa never forgot his Tahitian roots.”…
Island Treasures: Gary Leveque and Karen Spachner
Gary Leveque first visited Hawai‘i Island in 1985 while on tour with Showcase Hawai‘i. He had been living on O‘ahu since 1982, while attending Brigham Young Universityʻs Hawai‘i campus. After receiving his bachelor’s degree in fine arts and also his…
Mālama Mokupuni—Caring for Our Island Environment: Nursing Along a Coral Nursery
By Rachel Laderman How do you create an ocean in an aquarium? This is the challenge Michelle Nason took on in 2017, when she was a student in the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo’s Marine Science Department and Marine Option…
Featured Artists: Francene Hart & Ethel Mann
Featured Cover Artist: Francene Hart Francene Hart knew as a child she would be an artist. She grew up in the middle of the US, spending 26 years in northern Wisconsin where she built a log home and discovered a…
Celebrating a Long Time Advertiser: Queen’s North Hawai‘i Community Hospital
North Hawai‘i Community Hospital opened in 1996 as an acute care facility that incorporated blended medicine in a unique setting. The hospital is a 35-bed rural acute care hospital located in Waimea (Kamuela). A clinical affiliation with The Queen’s Medical…
Puakõ’s Historical Hokuloa Church
By Ma‘ata Tukuafu Driving through the tropical coastal community of Puakō, one will notice that huge mansions have replaced many of the humble beach shacks that once populated the little village of 163 homes. There is one building that is…
Island Treasures: Tai Lake Fine Woodworking
Tai Lake and his family design and build fine furniture from Hawai‘i Island-grown woods. Their wood comes from trees slated for removal or storm fallen. 2020 marks 40 years since Tai moved to Hawai‘i Island. The workshop on his property…
