Pua Kala at Puakea Bay
Pua Kala at Puakea Bay, 2007 (5’ by 22’) is a curving exterior stained glass mosaic mural at Puakea Bay Ranch, Lands of Puakea and Honoipu, in North Kohala on the Island of Hawai’i. The work was done in collaboration with Calley’s stained glass and mosaic partner, master artisan Lamar Yoakum (read more).
This was Calley and Lamar’s first major stained glass mosaic, and this unique style of precisely cut and fitted mosaic quickly became a passion for them. Stained glass mosaic offers infinitely more subtlety and richness of texture, color and harmony than tiles. The mosaic will remain unaffected by sun and wind and will last indefinitely with virtually no maintenance and no loss of color over centuries.
Pua Kala (Argemone glauca) is the rare, delicate native Hawaiian white prickly poppy with pale yellow stamens and a rich purple stigmas at the center poppy depicted on the rugged dry and rocky slopes above Puakea Bay. Few people have ever seen them in the wild, yet they are not rare enough to have endangered species status.
In the days of old, the Pua Kala flourished in the dry land forests of Hawai’i, which have all but disappeared. The beautiful Pua Kala is endemic (found only in Hawai’i) and grows on the parched coasts of all the main Hawaiian Islands. It is one of the few native plants with thorns and toxins. While the blossoms last for just a day, it blooms rather prolifically and continuously in the summer in the harshest of conditions. The seeds and sap of the stalk were used as a narcotic and treatment for toothaches, neuralgia, warts and ulcers.
Pua Kala is an inspiration for inner strength, resilience and beauty regardless of the external conditions.
Email Calley: Calley@CalleyO'Neill.com
Art and Soul for the Earth
Big Island of Hawai'i
