Meet Young Artist Kai Culnane
Kai Culnane is a 12-year-old student at Kona Pacific Public Charter School on Hawaiʻi Island.
My painting “ʻAlae ʻUla’s Harmony Between Gods” is inspired by my connection to Hawaiʻi, native birds, and the Hawaiian gods. Kane is the god of freshwater, which is why I made his face in the mountain which catches the freshwater from the rain. Kanaloa is the god of the ocean, which is why I made his face in the wave. In the painting, the two gods are in harmony with each other because the presence of the ʻAlae ʻUla signifies that the watershed is healthy. A healthy watershed acts as a filter to make the freshwater healthy, which in turn leads to a healthy ocean. I wanted to highlight this in my art so that I can remind people the importance of the ʻAlae ʻUla to a healthy ecosystem while honoring the Hawaiian cultural beliefs. Also, I got inspiration from the fact that the birds brought fire from the gods to humans. The bird brought us fire so it is our duty to help keep the flame alive by stopping the ʻAlae ʻUla from going extinct. I painted the mother passing the flame to the baby/next generation to show that in order to keep the flame and species alive, we need to protect it for generations to come. This was one of my first oil pastel paintings. One reason I love the beak of the ʻAlae ʻUla is its bright red features. I played around with a bunch of colors and over time it looked like lighting on the feathers. I used Kalo because it’s a very important plant to Hawaiʻi and I love nature.
- Kai Culnane
Meet Young Artist Aylwen Fife
Aylwen Fife is a 14-year-old student at Island School on Kauai.
For the painting, I was quite inspired by a few different Hawaiian core values such as Kuleana (the privilege and responsibility to take care of the land and each other) as well as Mālama (to protect and care for the land and people as well). Though these words may be similar, they go together as complementary pieces. In the painting, I wanted to show the privilege of taking care of the bird and the care that goes into it. For the piece, instead of mainly focusing on the birds, I went with the overall focus of the ʻāina and how one's ability to give kindness has a bigger impact on the environment than it seems. I also wanted to show how these birds could go unseen as they are an endangered species and how it is in a sense small, as it is endemic to the islands and found nowhere else. Hopefully people can tell which mountains were referenced as I tried to paint the likeness of The Valley of the Kings. It's a very spiritual and culturally significant place and since no Hawaiian moorhens live on Hawaiʻi Island anymore I wanted to paint them somewhere very significant to Hawaiʻi since both need to be preserved and respected. Lastly, I wanted to paint a child as well to encompass and express these Hawaiian values.
- Aylwen Fife
View Additional Art Submissions
Click through this slideshow to view other highly commended art submissions.
Congratulations again to Aylwen Fife and Kai Culnane, and thank you to all participants for helping us ignite hope for the survival of the ʻalae ʻula!
Pacific Birds will be celebrating the ʻalae ʻula with an art show and event on April 4th, 2026 at Kukui Grove Mall from 11am to 4pm. We will be joined by our partners for prizes, art activities and fun facts about birds and more.
For more details, visit our Facebook page or our ʻalae ʻula campaign website.
