Hawaii Walls
MURAL DESIGN
Role: Art Direction & Concept, Illustration, Lettering, Mural Painting
Client: Hawaii Walls (nonprofit)
Scale: 22' H × 14' W
Location: Puuhale Elementary School, Honolulu, HI
The biggest wall I've ever painted, and the most important thing on it is four words.
Hawaii Walls is a nonprofit mural festival that brings together artists from around the world to paint the walls of underserved schools and neighborhoods in Honolulu. I was given a wall at Puuhale Elementary, right across from the cafeteria, the first thing kids see before class and the backdrop to their entire playground.
With full creative freedom, I landed on "It's Cool to Be Kind." I considered a lot of phrases, but at this age, kindness is enough. The illustration is unapologetically playful, with Hawaii elements like palm trees, waves, a rainbow, and a smiling sun, all in a pastel palette designed to feel like childhood. Tucked in is a surfing Bichon Frise, my dog Bibo, because I couldn't bring him to Hawaii but figured he'd want to be there anyway.
The mural took a full week to paint, with help from local community members, Hawaii-based friends and fellow muralists who finished their own walls early and came to help.
Between painting days, the program brought all the artists together through talks, panels, and events around the city. I made real friends that week. Every day, kids stopped by the scaffolding to wave, ask what I was painting, or compliment my pink jumpsuit. I always told them the same thing: wait and see, it's a surprise.
