KAUA'I FORWARD WEEK
CONTINUES HERE ON "LIVING 808."
WE HAVE THE STORY OF A LONG
SAILING VOYAGE, THAT TURNING
INTO A BUSINESS.
PASSION FOR POLYNESIAN ART
WAY LED TO A COOL STORY IN
HANALEI.
I'M DILLON THOMAS, WE'RE
BEEN HERE FOR 14 GOING ON 15
YEARS.
WE ARE A REPRESENTATION OF ALL
THE ART ACROSS THE ENTIRE
OCEANIC REGION SO THAT'S
INTO INDONESIA AND THE GALLERY
WAS BORN ON THE BACK OF A
SAILING TRIP WHICH I HAPPENED TO
FIND MYSELF ON WITH MY
CO-OWNERS, JIM AND VICKY, WHO
HAVE NOW BEEN TOGETHER AS
PARTNERS FOR ALMOST 18 YEARS
EITHER SAILING OR RUNNING THE
BUSINESS.
WE'RE STILL ACTUALLY FRIENDS.
THE GALLERY IS A REPRESENTATION
OF LOCAL ART SO WE HAVE A
DIFFERENCE IN THAT WE DEAL
DIRECTLY WITH ARTISTS ALL ACROSS
THE PACIFIC.
WE'RE DEALING WITH VERY FEW KIND
OF VENDORS OR WHOLE SAILORS.
WE'RE VERY UNIQUE.
WE'RE FOCUSED ON AUTHENTICITY,
REAL CULTURAL PICTURES FROM
THANKFULLY 400 NOW PLUS ARTISTS
THAT WE REPRESENT ACROSS THE
PACIFIC BUT DELIVERING JUST
THAT.
I AM SO INTRIGUED, I SEE SO
MANY COOL THINGS BEHIND YOU.
CAN YOU TELL OUR VIEWERS WHAT
TYPES OF ART YOU GUYS ACTUALLY
SELL AT THE GALLERY?
IT'S DIFFERENT FROM WHAT MOST
PEOPLE THINK OF AS AN ART
GALLERY.
WHEN YOU SAY YOU'RE AN ART
GALLERY OWNER, PEOPLE
IMMEDIATELY THINK FLAT ART.
WHAT THE INDUSTRY CALLS FLAT
ART, TWO DIMENSIONAL PAINTINGS.
WE'RE ON THE OTHER HAND
SCULPTURAL.
THE CULTURE OF THE PEOPLE OF THE
PICK.
THEY REPRESENT THAT AREA, THEY
REPRESENT THOSE PEOPLE, THEIR
BELIEFS, TRADITIONS, WHO THEY
HONOR.
WE'RE PROVIDING A SPACE FOR THE
PEOPLE TO CONTINUE THOSE
TRADITIONS.
NOWADAYS MORE IN AN ART FORM.
THERE'S A LOT OF SPIRIT.
YOU CAN FEEL THE SPIRIT IN THESE
PIECES WHEN YOU COME IN HERE AND
THAT IS SOMETHING WE FOUND
OURSELVES REALIZING ALONG THE
WAY, ALONG THE SALIENT JOURNEY
AND REALLY PIQUED OUR INTEREST
AND DROVE US TO CREATE THE
SPACE.
I WAS GOING TO SAY I WAS GOING
TO ASK YOU HOW DID YOU ACTUALLY
ACQUIRE THE COLLECTION TO EVEN
OPEN UP THE GALLERY.
HOW DID IT ALL START?
IT'S AN INTERESTING STORY FOR
ME.
I GREW UP IN SOUTH AFRICA.
I WAS ALWAYS A WATER BOY,
SURFING THE BEACHES.
I JUMPED TO THE U.S. TO FOLLOW
THAT LIFE SAVING PASSION AND
COMPETE AND I HAPPENED TO MEET
JIM AND VICKY.
JIM WAS SAILING IN 1962.
HE SAILED HIS FIRST MAJOR
HAWAII TO A AT THAT HEATA AND IT
WAS ALWAYS THEIR DREAM TO GO
SAILING INTO THE SOUTH PACIFIC
AND AS THEIR DREAM UNFOLDED, I
HAPPENED TO JUST BE PASSING
ALONG AND WALKED THROUGH THAT
DOOR AS IT OPENED.
I SAT DOWN AND MET WITH JIM AND
AFTER ABOUT TWO HOURS OF
CONVERSATION WE BOTH AGREED THAT
WE WERE ALL IN IT AND YOU KNOW
WE GREW TO LOVE PASSIONLY THE
PACIFIC REGION IN ITS ENTIRETY,
HAVING SAILED OVER THAT PERIOD
OF TIME AND THEN SUB
SUBSEQUENTLY SAILED ON OUR
SECOND BOAT, YACHT COMPADRE.
THE FIRST BOOK WAS CALLED YACHT
FIRE BIRD.
FORGOT TO MENTION THAT.
WE COLLECTED OUR ORIGINAL
COLLECTION, WHAT WE CALL THE
FIRE BIRD COLLECTION, AND AS YOU
CAN IMAGINE AFTER FIVE AND A
THE SOUTH PACIFIC THAT WAS A
VAST NUMBER OF ART PIECES AND
ONCE WE HAD MADE THE DECISION TO
REALLY REPRESENT THE PEOPLE AND
THE ART WORKS OF OCEANIC, THE
OCEANIC REGION, WE SET OUT TO
WITH HAVE TO, THE STARS ALIGNED
FOR US HERE IN HANALEI AND WE
NEVER LOOKED BACK.
I'M SURE ALL YOUR STUFF IS ON
THE WEBSITE.
CAN YOU GIVE OUR VIEWERS THE
WEBSITE SO THEY CAN TAKE A LOOK?
ABSOLUTELY.
HAPPY TO DO THAT.
WE ARE AT HAVA IKIART.COM.
INFORMATION ON OUR WEBSITE.
DILLON, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
WE APPRECIATE YOU YOU SPENDING
SOME TIME WITH US.
THANK YOU FOR HAVING US ON
BOARD.
A SHOUT OUT TO THE CHAMBER OF