Conservation
Council for Hawai'i:
Web:
http://www.conservehi.org
Phone: (808) 593-0255
Proceeds from sales of this print go to CCH and protecting the Hawaiian Monk Seal.
Ho'ailona, Hawaiian Monk Seal
This print was created for Conservation Council for Hawai'i’s annual wildlife educational poster, which is distributed to every public, private, charter, and Native Hawaiian Language immersion school in the state. Conservation Council for Hawai'i was established in 1950 and has become one of the largest and most effective wildlife organizations in Hawai'i. Conservation Council for Hawai'i is dedicated to protecting native Hawaiian plants, animals, and ecosystems for future generations.
The Hawaiian
Monk Seal is called ‘Ilio-holo-i-ka-uaua in Hawaiian meaning, ‘the
dog that runs in rough waters’. Endemic to Hawai'i, the Hawaiian
Monk Seal has lived for over 13 million years, longer than even some of
the islands themselves. The Hawaiian Monk Seal can grow to 450 pounds
and 7 feet long. The seal is critically endangered, the most endangered
mammal in the world, with only about 1000 individuals left. The Hawaiian
Monk Seal is the first in Caren’s series on the endangered species
of Hawai'i.
“The Hawaiian Monk Seal has become my muse, and I have loved watching
them basking on different Hawaiian shores over the years. Recently, while
camping at Kiholo Bay on the Big Island, I was delighted to see a dark-furred
adult foraging in the ocean. He picked his way along the reef at the shore
in the early morning, right next to our campsite. What a thrill it was
to see a Hawaiian monk seal just doing his thing in the wild.
“I have spent time observing Ho'ailona, the young Hawaiian Monk
Seal who was adopted late last year by the Waikiki Aquarium. At the underwater
viewing area, as children came to the glass, Ho'ailona swam to them with
curiosity. Over and over, he put his whiskered, puppy face close to the
children’s smiling faces. It was powerful and touching to see this
young Hawaiian Monk Seal so keen on interacting with the human children.
Ho'ailona is truly an ambassador for his species. I realized he would
make the perfect model for the Conservation Council for Hawai'i poster,
reaching all the schools across Hawai'i. As Ho'ailona glided through the
water with such grace, ease, and agility, I snapped photos and did quick
sketches. I marveled at his body, so well adapted to a liquid environment.
My desire and greatest challenge will be to capture in art Ho'ailona’s
engaging personality and his body in motion!”
Caren’s award winning illustrated books of Hawaiian legends include
Naupaka, Lono and the Magical Land Beneath the Sea, Hawaiian Legends of
Dreams, Hawaiian Legends of the Guardian Spirits, Pua Polu, the Pretty
Blue Hawaiian Flower, Tree of Souls, and Legend of the Gourd.
Ho'ailona, Hawaiian Monk Seal, by Caren Loebel-Fried, is a limited edition Giclée from the original hand-colored block print.
