Gallery: The Alala

From the Winter 2018 issue of Living Bird magazine. Subscribe now.

The Hawaiian crow, or Alala, is getting a fresh start with reintroduction into the wild. As an artist on the big island of Hawaii, I take great pride in our native birds. For this piece, I was able to observe the Alala in captivity and paint this solitary Hawaiian Crow looking into the distance, with koa leaves dangling above its head. I used a purple color palette, straight surfaces, and right angles in this painting, because those are elements that don’t appear in nature very often, and I enjoy juxtaposing wild birds with surprising colors, shapes, and patterns. I hope my paintings convey a message of hope—that endangered animals like the Alala can return to nature and coexist with humanity, if only we’ll give them a chance.