Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tamara Moan. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Tamara , appreciate you joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

I worked collaboratively with another artist, Denise Karabinus, to produce a body of work for an exhibit. Our theme was to explore aspects of hula, using a particular song–“Ka Uluwehi o ke Kai”–as our starting point. The song speaks of various limu (seaweed) so our research included seaweed investigations as well as hula history, hula implements, hula movements, and patterns. Once we got through the research stage, we did a series of paintings on paper, exchanging the pieces periodically to rework and augment them in stages; we passed each painting between us 4-5 times before they reached completion. The work of a year culminated in an exhibit in downtown Honolulu.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I’m an artist and writer, but I also work as a teacher and feel that’s where I do some of my most important work. For 20+ years I taught at the Honolulu Museum of Art School, working with students aged 3-83. I enjoy sharing and teaching skills but most of all I love pushing students to try new things, open up themselves to a wider array of ideas, and explore working in ways that are surprising and rewarding. I try to do the same in my own artwork. That particular art school was shut down by Covid. I have since been teaching private classes, exploring drawing, painting, correspondence art, travel sketching, printmaking, and book arts. All of us have a creative side that seeks expression; I love helping people find their visual “voice” to give that creativity a physical presence.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Covid’s been a real challenge for all of us. My teaching job evaporated and the school where I taught took two years to reopen; they reopened under a new organizational scheme that I chose not to rejoin. Instead, I’ve found ways to teach private classes in alternative spaces. I also signed on to a statewide teaching roster for artists that places teaching artists in schools and other adult community spaces.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

On a very personal level, being an artist is a way for me to attend to my own mental health and well being. I have made art my entire life, from the time I could first hold a pencil, and to NOT make pictures and images (which has happened at a few junctures) is like not getting the nutrients I need. Making art is my way of processing life’s challenges and experiences. It’s so satisfying when what I make resonates with a viewer!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.tamaramoan.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leiokanoe/
• Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/MyRestlessPaintbrush?ref=profile_header