04/20/2026
The Mokeeluas
Home is where the heart is. Where the friends are. Where you feel like you belong.
Living in Hawaiʻi, I’ve come to understand this in the most beautiful way. Here, you don‘t just meet people — you meet their dogs and animals. You take walks together in the neighborhood and on the beach, play tennis in the morning sun, and spend actual time sharing meals. Not texting. Not scrolling. Just being present, side by side.
This is our friend Gordon’s pup, Mokee, on the pillbox — with the Na Mokulua, the Twin Islands and the landmark of Lanikai in Kailua, glowing in the background.
Painting a white dog taught me something I didn‘t expect. In the shadows, you find viridian, purple, soft blue — colors you’d never think to reach for. And yet, they‘re exactly what makes the light feel real.
Life is a little like that, too. What appears simple on the surface holds so much more depth when you slow down and really look. It’s never just black and white — but wonderfully colorful, if you look closely.
I‘m so grateful for this island, our beautiful friends, and their fur family 🐾
20” x 16” Original Oil on Canvas
ReiREi HawaiiArtist
