BACKGROUND:                                                                                                                                              
William "Keala" Kai reveals a captivating smile as he shares the aloha spirit of a true Kauai native.  Keala, a professional waterman, was raised by his grandfather Bill Chu, who taught Keala, at a very young age, the technique of drawing in orthographic projection.  

Mrs. Roberta Agena, Keala's elementary school art teacher, provided insight to incorporate shading, shadows and lights to his drawings, (albeit that included scolding, as his artwork appeared as desktop drawings).  

These two teachings contributed to Keala's lifelong preoccupation with using pencil as his favorite art medium.


CURRENT INSPIRATION:

As a crew member of the Polynesian voyaging canoe, "Hokule'a", and as a builder of the Kauai voyaging canoe, "Namahoe",  Keala displays incredible insight.  

His artwork provides such intricate detail of Hawaii's traditional cultural artifacts and practices.  His pencil art lures you to the depth that a camera lacks.