ABOUT THE KOLOA IKI ART
Native Hawaiian artist Solomon Enos created Koloa Iki especially for this website and Coloring Page. It is part of his Nā Liʻiliʻi series of illustrations of Hawaiian wildlife. We use it with his permission1. He generously says, “Please use my work, but please give me credit for it.” And we add: if you use this image, please tag us so that we know that you’re interested in Koloa Iki!
1 COPYRIGHT: All rights reserved. All texts, images, video, music, lyrics, and other material are copyright to their respective owners and are protected under international copyright laws. It is not permitted to copy, download, or reproduce these assets in any way whatsoever without prior written permission by the respective copyright owners.
About Nā Liʻiliʻi (from Solomonʻs Facebook page, 2020 posts):
Now for a bit of levity to help sustain a sense of urgency around climate change, and to connect this issue to all other vital struggles for justice and equity. A group of friends and I are developing a very simple (age 5+) card game themed on building and sustaining healthy ecosystems. The characters are all native and endemic flora and fauna, and I endeavor to produce hundreds of them 🙂 .This series will feature the first 40 characters (4 a day) and I look forward to gathering impressions from you all. And note that this is a brief departure into digital and I am training myself to only use my finger as I have a wonderful habit of losing my stylus 🙂 . And importantly, swipe to view coloring pages for each character. Please feel free to print them out and color them! 🙂 and also feel free to use images from this series for educational purposes. I am happy to share them because the more we think about our beloved native and endemic flora and fauna, the more steps we will take to protect them 🙂 . And now to wrap up with an introduction: top left to bottom right, Pueo/endemic short-eared owl, Pinao ʻUla/orange and black Hawaiian damsel fly, Coleotichus blackburniae / koa bug (inoa Hawaiʻi please! :)), and lastly the ’I’iwi/scarlet honeycreeper. I hope these characters bring a little bit of joy to you all in these heavy times, and again, feel free to share them! 🙂 #endangeredspecies #hawaiifloraandfauna #chibihawaii #pueo #iiwi #koabug #pinaoula Go to post: September 12.
Liʻiliʻi (working title:)), Hawaiʻi Native and Endemic Flora and Fauna Continued! 🙂 . After today, 32 more on the way, collect them all! 🙂 Swipe to share and print coloring pages and individual Liʻiliʻi characters. Feel free to use them for personal, family and educational purposes. The more ways to bring our beloved kūpuna plants and animals into our daily lives the better! 🙂 So for today, top L to bottom R: Kalo/taro, Nēnē Goose/Hawaiian Goose, Kokiʻo ʻUla/Clay’s Hibiscus, and ʻUlu/Breadfruit :). Please share and enjoy! 🙂 #hawaiifloraandfauna #chibihawaii #liilii #conceptart #kalo #nenegoose #kokioula #ulutree Go to post: September 13.
Nā Liʻiliʻi (evolving working tittle, “the little ones”) Continued! 🙂 These Native Hawaiian Flora and Fauna are a first batch of 40 characters being designed for a card game which is in development, with potential for other applications such as shirts and stickers and possibly an app game etc. Getting our native and endemic and canoe plants out and into the collective conversation in our local global communities is a way to help preserve these real-world living treasures and the eco-systems that sustain them and us. So please swipe and share for personal, family and educational purposes! 🙂 From top L to bottom R: Nananana Makakiʻi/Hawaiian happy face spider, Hāpu’u ʻIʻi/ Hawaiian tree fern, Pua Nāʻū/Hawaiian gardenia, and lastly the Haematoloecha rubecens/assassin bug (what a jolly moniker! :)) . Enjoy, share and take care! 🙂 #naliilii #chibihawaii #nanananamakakii #hapuu #assassinbughawaii #nauflowers #conceptart #hawaiifloraandfauna #hawaiiendemic Go to post: September 14.
Nā Liʻiliʻi continued!:) Native/endemic flora/fauna and canoe plants chibified for card (and eventually digital) games themed on building and sustaining healthy ecosystems. The hope is to bring our endangered, strategic, and beloved plants and animals into more of our daily conversations, and to begin by appealing to the most precious demographic, our human Nā Liʻiliʻi . So for today, top L to bottom R: ʻŌhiʻa Lehua/flowering evergreen, Heʻe Mākoko/night octopus, ʻAʻama/thin-shelled black crab, and lastly a swaying Kumu Niu/coconut tree:) Swipe to see individual characters and for coloring pages. Feel free to uses these for personal, family and educational purposes, and please share, plenty more on the way!:) #ohialehua #heemakoko #kumuniu #aamacrab #hawaiifloraandfauna #chibihawaii #conceptart Go to post: September 15.
Nā Liʻiliʻi Continued! 🙂 It’s a careful line to walk between reverence and kitsch, and hopefully I have found the right balance. Our beloved native/endemic flora and fauna cannot advocate for themselves, so if I can help to bring awareness to their plight, I will! And this first batch of 40 (today’s post marks half way) just makes me ono to do 80 more. Swipe for full size characters and color pages, please feel free to use and share for personal, family and educational purposes. Top L to bottom R: ʻIo/Hawaiian hawk, ʻŌpeʻapeʻa/Hawaiian hoary bat, Pua Kala/Hawaiian poppy, and a cutie Pulelehua Koa/Koa butterfly:) #hawaiiflorafauna #iohawaiianhawk #opeapea #puakala #koabutterfly #chibihawaii #conceptart #naliilii Go to post: September 16.
A midpoint intermission for Nā Liʻiliʻi with a single set of prototype Nā Kaumaha (the sadness-working title) characters:( 
. In development of a collaborative ecosystem management card game for ages 5+, we are not sure if personifying the detrimental impacts is the right idea, which is why I am presenting them here 🙂 . The goal is to not make this a good vs bad game, but rather a good vs “sad” game. So the garbage, invasive animals, etc. are emoting as sad, lost, misplaced, confused, and in pain. The intention is to help broaden understanding of the source of the problems in our ecosystems rather than attributing a blanket judgment of “bad”. So with that said, top L to bottom right: car battery, mongoose, invasive seaweed, and broken beer bottle. I have also included coloring pages for personal, family and educational use, just in case folks want some context for all the happy characters 🙂 . And tomorrow, back to the solution with 20 more of those Nā Liʻiliʻi on the way!:) #naliilii #invasivehawaii #conceptart Go to post: September 17.
Nā Liʻiliʻi Continued! 🙂 I do hope that these little concepts of Hawaiian native and endemic flora and fauna bring a bit of levity to these heavy times. The very process of creating and sharing them gives me a dose of hope and I am thrilled to share it around 🙂 . Swipe for coloring pages and full sized characters for personal, family and educational use. From top L to bottom R: Pulelehua/Kamehameha butterfly, Naupaka Kuahiwi/mountain naupaka, Maiapilo/Hawaiian caper, and a Kāhuli/Oʻahu tree snail which is cute in reality as it is endangered, so let’s keep them in mind! 🙂 #hawaiianfloraandfauna #naliilii #kamehamehabutterfly #naupakakuahiwi #maiapilo #kahuli #conceptart Go to post: September 18.
Nā Liʻiliʻi Continued! 🙂 In the midst of all the suffering, turmoil, and the resulting anxiety, it is easy to lose focus and perhaps even a sense of purpose. Taking care of our precious endemic and native flora and fauna by protecting the ecosystems they thrive upon is one way we can stay involved and connected. And as we work within our own ahupuaʻa to attain and perpetuate sustainability, we can help by being an example for other communities across America and globally. And as an artist, if I can bring these discussions to the fore with little ecosystem ambassadors, then I will! 🙂 Top L to bottom R, ʻŌpae ʻUla/Hawaiian red shrimp, Pua Aʻaliʻi/hopbush flower, ʻĀkala/Hawaiian raspberry, Mōlī/Lysan albatross. Swipe for full sized characters and color pages which are available for personal, family and educational purposes. These are being created for a card game in development, and probably as t-shirts and stickers well before then, stay tuned! 🙂 The more ways to get these natives out and into our daily conversations the better! 🙂 #naliilii #opae #akalaberry #aalii #lysanalbatross #conceptart #chibihawaii Go to post: September 20.
Nā Liʻiliʻi Continued! 🙂 These characters are concepts for a card game based building healthy ecosystems, thematically with Hawaiian native-endemic flora and fauna. Swipe for coloring pages and full sized characters. Please feel free to share and to use for personal, family and educational purposes. The final 8 in this first batch of 40 coming up! 🙂 Top L to bottom R: Hua ʻŌhelo/ʻōhelo berry, Palila/Hawaiian honeycreeper, ʻUlaʻula/Hawaiian spiny lobster, and lastly the Aeʻo/Hawaiian Stilt. I hope these characters bring as much joy as it took to make them :). #aeobird #palila #ohelo #hawaiianlobster #conceptart #hawaiifloraandfauna Go to post: September 21.
Nā Liʻiliʻi Continued! 🙂 As I draw this series to a close, with the last 4 Liʻiliʻi to be posted tomorrow, I am already compiling a list for the next 40. Please send requests if you all have some! 🙂 There are so many reasons to love and protect our native and endemic flora and fauna. Our destinies our intertwined and if they are healthy, so are we. We need them more than they need us, and they give us a sense of purpose at a time when the news coming out of America has the potential to sap our will. If our Nā Liʻiliʻi can keep struggling and thriving even against the odds, so can we! 🙂 So for today’s offering, from top L to bottom R: Hāʻukuʻukuʻulaʻula (love this inoa!:))/red slate pencil urchin, Hua Hala/pandanus fruit, Puhi Kauila/Hawaiian dragon moray eel, and a frisky ʻŌpelu/mackerel scad:) #opelu #puhikauila #huahala #haukuukuulaula #hawaiifloraandfauna #conceptart #chibihawaii Go to post: September 22.
Nā Liʻiliʻi Concluded, for now! 🙂 This first batch of 40 have been a joy to create and share, and I look forward to doing another batch soon. Send in requests any time, as I will always prioritize community preferences 🙂 . This series has taught me that we truly do live in a sacred and mysterious and powerful place, and everyone who resides here has a responsibility to protect and perpetuate the living story that is this pae ʻāina. Please swipe for larger sized images and coloring pages, and feel free to share these with your communities! 🙂 So to wrap this first series of 40 up, from top L to bottom R: Limu ʻAkiʻaki/tufted seaweed, Honu ʻEa/hawksbill sea turtle, Niuhi/tiger shark, and a styling ʻAlae ʻUla/Hawaiian moorhen 🙂 . #limuakiʻaki #honu #niuhi #alaeula #hawaiianfloraandfauna #conceptart #chibihawaii Go to post: September 23.
About Solomon Enos
Solomon Robert Nui Enos is a Native Hawaiian artist, illustrator, and visionary. Born and raised in Makaha Valley (Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi), Solomon hails from the well-known Enos ʻohana. Solomon has been making art for more than 30 years and he is adept at artistic expression in a wide variety of media including oil paintings, book illustrations, murals, and game design. A self-described “Possibilist” Solomon’s art expresses an informed aspirational vision of the world at its best via contemporary and traditional art that leans towards Sci-Fi and Fantasy. His work touches on themes like collective-consciousness, ancestry and identity, our relationship with our planet, and all through the lens of his experience as a person indigenous to Hawaiʻi. Solomon has exhibited in Biennial X (Honolulu Museum of Art), 6th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (Queensland Art Gallery), CONTACT art exhibitions, and others. His work is held in private collections and in the public collections of the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center and Hawaiʻi State Art Museum. He has led numerous community mural projects and has received art commissions for hotels, corporate offices, public buildings, and schools in Hawaiʻi. His latest works include murals and augmented-reality installations for Google and Disney.
Recent Exhibitions: [2018] Worlds Beyond Here: The Expanding Universe of APA Science Fiction, Wing Luke Museum, Seattle; Flower Fan, Aupuni Space, Kakaʻako; CONTACT ZONE., Hawaiʻi Theatre, Honolulu. [2017] ʻAe Kai: Culture Lab on Convergence, Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center, Honolulu; Waʻa + Lewa: Reflections on Voyaging, Aupuni Place, Honolulu. CONTACT 3017, Honolulu Museum of Art School, Honolulu; Radical Optimist, The ARTS at Marks Garage, Honolulu. [2016] CTRL+ALT: Culture Lab on Imagined Futures, Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center, New York; CONTACT 2016, Honolulu Museum of Art School, Honolulu; Out with the NEW, in with the OLD, Nano Gallery, Honolulu Museum of Art School, Honolulu; Mana Moana: HNL/AKL, an artist exchange funded by Creative New Zealand, Tim Melville Gallery, Auckland, New Zealand. [2015] NŪ: The Next 500 Years, DAWSON Art Project, Honolulu; Ancestral Spaces, Ancestral Futures, WCIT Architecture, Honolulu; CONTACT 2015, Honolulu Museum of Art School, Honolulu. [2014] M.A.P. III (Maoli.Art.Pedagogy), Hawaiʻi Pacific University Art Gallery, Kāneʻohe; CONTINUITY / A Mau A Mau, CNHA 13th Annual Native Hawaiian Conference, Honolulu; PEWA II, SPF Projects, Honolulu (two-man show with Carl F.K. Pao); CONTACT 2014, Honolulu Museum of Art School, Honolulu.
RELATED LINKS