Kaua‘i Cycles

I’m walking through the jungle not far from Ho’opi’i Falls. The air is think with moisture and I can hear the water crashing down over the volcanic rock. All around life is growing on every surface. Awapuhi (Bitter Ginger) are standing in the rocks. On one stalk, a Gecko climbs up to the flowering body where the red strips on its back side blended with the plants colors in a near perfect harmony. These species and all of the species on this planet have evolved in relation to each other. The feed off each other, give each other shelter, and have harmonious relationships of all kinds. The separation of these animals and plants is an illusion. As the butterfly feeds on the ginger and the gecko on the butterfly and ultimately the ginger on the remains of the gecko this cycle of life is the pattern of a whole and single being, whose origin are the beginning of life and time itself.

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A few symbolic elements to consider: The spiral represents the origin of these species, all entwined and curling back in time to a space of singularity. 

The gecko holds the Hawaiian islands in his eye. This Rainbow Day Gecko is an endemic species of Hawaii, meaning it can be found nowhere else other than the Hawaiian Islands.

A heart symbol on the gecko’s nose. The heart is a representation of love, a universal energy we always like to include in our paintings. We believe nothing exists with out love.

The symbol of the Sun and Moon on apposing butterfly wings. Celestial bodies and opposite sides of the same coin. Their energy drives the cycles and patterns of life on this planet.

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Written by Ian Cleary

A Heartspace432 collaborative painting by Ian & Danielle Cleary

Acrylic on Birch Panel 2′ x 2′