Fund raising events are big on the island of Kauai. Because not much cash flows down from the State of Hawaii, there is a lot to be desired in terms of public services that are well-supported in most other states. The arts and education could not survive without funds derived locally via contributions and/or well-attended fund raising dinners. We were invited to attend such an event this past Sunday. It was being held for the benefit of the Kilauea Elementary School, located in nearby, well, uh ... Kilauea. Art and Music are not adequately funded curriculums here, so it’s up to the local communities to pony up money if they desire their children to benefit from those programs. The money slotted for music and art ran out mid-year, so this affair was planned to gather enough funds to finish the current year out and extend the programs into next year.

Held at the prestigious Princeville Hotel, the ‘Save the Music and Arts’ fundraiser provided the attendees with a fine full-course dinner, ample beverages, and evening of rotating live music performers, and the heart of every fund raiser: the auction, both silent and active. In a ‘SILENT’ auction, tables loaded with donated items of every description and any interested party may place a bid on an item throughout the night. You must revisit the item often in order to outbid your competition. The ‘ACTIVE’ auction portion of the evening offers items of higher value and involves an auctioneer. You wouldn’t want to scratch your nose at the wrong time during a high-rolling auction, believe me!

In the spirit of the evening, we placed several silent auction bids on some artwork by local artists whom we admire. To our surprise, one of the active auction items caught our attention. It was an archival print of a painting done by not only a local artist, but an international film celebrity, as well. Celebrity or not, Martha and I both LOVED the painting. The piece was paraded right by our seats. DILEMMA! So we closed our eyes, gritted our teeth, and up went the auction paddle! Shortly thereafter we heard that well-known auctioneering phrase: “Going Once! ... Going Twice!! ... SOLD!!!

The art piece that we bid on is called “Fiji”. It’s more bold and stylized than anything we have displayed in our home, but we just had a good feeling about the piece.

Now that we’ve got it home, it makes even more sense in our house. We plan to hang it near our entry way, on a wall that can be see from both the front door and our entertainment area.

We are very excited about our win!

Oh, did I forget to tell you the identity of the artist?  Well, it’s none other than Mr. Bond himself: Pierce Brosnan!

I do believe that perhaps my new favorite drink will just have to be a martini ... ‘shaken, not stirred’, of course.

Aloha!

dp

it’s Memorex, in case you’re wondering .....