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If you’ve visited Oahu in the past few months, you may have noticed the 12-story mural of Duke Kahanamoku and Carissa Moore in downtown Honolulu. The mural was painted by local artist and surfer Kamea Hadar and was completed in November of 2021. Here, Hadar shares what inspired the mural, the process of creating it, and Moore’s reaction to being painted alongside the father of modern surfing.
What inspired the mural?
I painted that wall a few years back with a friend of mine. We painted a big mural that said: “Vote. You Run 808.” It was during the election season and it was a pro voting mural that we did in partnership with a few different organizations that were trying to promote voter turnout in Hawaii. People went crazy over it — some people thought it was advertising a certain candidate and some people thought it was an advertisement for a running store. The whole world exploded, and we had to paint over it in three days.
I’ve always had my eye on that wall and wanted to paint it again. When Carissa won her gold medal, I thought ‘this is the mural that I want to create.’ I wanted to pay tribute to her, Duke, and the history of surfing. I already had the canvas and it worked out perfectly.
What was the process like creating the mural?
First, we installed the swing stage. Then, we primed the wall, laid out a grid, and then we used that grid to sketch some guidelines. After we have the guidelines, we started painting. I always start with the faces and the eyes because they’re the most important part of the face and then I work down to the nose, through the mouth, and then around the cheeks and the hair. You want to get that monkey off your back and do the most important part when you’re the freshest. You don’t want to leave important details until the end. The same with each week — I always plan on heavier details on Monday and by Friday, I try to plan on bigger fills, so I don’t have to worry about messing things up because I’m tired. Afterwards, we clear coated it, took the rig out, and that was it. It took about a month.
What supplies did you use?
I mostly used equipment that you can buy at Home Depot. I used paint sprayers, brushes that you use to paint houses with, and a lot of house paints. The only specialty items that I used were my safety gear and for some of the colors I used a really high-grade acrylic called Nova. It’s a company out of the mainland that makes paint that’s good for murals — it mixes well, it has really bright colors, and it’s rated to be in the sun.
What was the most challenging part?
The size, the sun, and the physical aspects of it. The lift leans into the wall and moves, so your core is engaged all day, your feet are sore, and your toes get sore from gripping in your shoes. It’s kind of like balancing on a yoga ball all day; it’s very physically draining. Plus, this wall faces west so after 1 p.m. we would get blasted by the sun until sunset.
Also, when I paint this big I usually only paint one figure. But this one had Carissa and Duke. There were a lot of different elements, so it was like three or four murals put together. It was a profile wall and a high-profile subject, so there was a lot of pressure to deliver.
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How did you decide on Duke and Carissa?
Carissa was the spark that lit the fuse and once I decided to paint Carissa, I met with her and we talked about it. She thought her story was part of a bigger story. I wanted to tell her story and felt there was no way to tell her story without including at least Duke.
There’s a long list of other people that are inspirations to Hawaii, the surfing world, and to her, but I thought a really good figure to be alongside her would be young Duke. Duke was an Olympian himself, he spoke to the Olympic committee and said that surfing should be included in the Olympics, and he’s considered the father of modern surfing. I thought it was the perfect story that he started this dream and she finally achieved it for him 100 years later.
What was Carissa’s reaction to the piece?
Carissa’s such a beautiful person. I think even if she didn’t like it, she would still make me feel good because she’s just that kind of person. But she said that she genuinely liked it. She said it was an honor to be painted alongside Duke.
