The Leeward Community College mosaic project is 42' in circumference by 3.67' wide.  It is located 20' above ground level in the circular opening above the main stairwell nearest the library.  The project took ten months to finish.  In the background of the mosaic, the sky, two separate mountain ranges, and clouds were created using  3/4" square x 1/6" thick Florentine Iridescent Glass Mosaic tiles, Vitreous Glass Mosaic tiles, and Venetian Glass Mosaic tiles.  The foreground subjects were created using 3/8" square x 1/6" thick Porcelain Mosaic tiles.

The mosaic is a tree-top view of Waianae, where I grew up.  In the background, the Waianae mountain ranges faces west and a third around the mosaic, the heavier cloud cover occurs in the eastern direction of the the Ko'olau mountain range of the windward side.  The subjects in the foreground are all native to Hawai'i:  the Koa tree, Alahe'e tree, 'Ohia Lehua tree, Kukui nut tree, and three 'Io, (Hawaiian hawks).   The Koa tree is known for it's strength, the Alahe'e tree known for it's fragrant flowers, and the 'Ohia Lehua tree has been the subject of many sacred stories and chants.   Prominent in the mosaic are the Kukui nut trees and the 'Io.   The Kukui nut tree symbolizes enlightenment and knowledge as the nuts from the tree were once used to make lamp oil.  The Kukui nut tree is shown in four stages of development, from a sapling on the right to the fully mature stage on the left.  The third stage depicts twenty-three blossoms; the tiny centers of each blossom were made with gold porcelain tile.  The number twenty-three was chosen as it is the number of chromosomes it takes to create a healthy human baby.   The 'Io represents the freedom and independence a person may achieve by gaining knowledge; the increased size of the hawk refers to the importance that relationship. 

 

Debra Koʻōnohiokalā Gregory