Malia and the flying Ama’ ama

I stumbled onto a photo of Hawaiian model Malia Murphy a while back. I couldn’t stop looking at it and I had no idea who she was but the intensity of her look was captivating – as intense as a feline about to capture its prey. I painted her partly submerged in extremely calm waters, surrounded by a school of silver Mullets or Ama’ama. A couple of days after I finished the painting I saw her face on the cover of a magazine at Four Seasons. Coincidence or faith? My life here seems quite surreal sometimes.

This is part of a limited edition of my latest show called “A surreal island life” currently hanging at the Four Seasons in Ko’Olina where I am the artist in residence.