Off-the-wall geckos inspire young artists
By Rod Ohira
Advertiser Staff Writer
Richard Ambo • The Honolulu Advertiser
Seven-year-old Katja Koszuta-Davis strolls through the courtyard holding a blank sheet, oblivious that many of her classmates have completed their assignment of sketching gecko sculptures on display at No. 1 Capitol District.
Jonathan Thow, a second-grader at Navy Hale Keiki School, found a gecko sculpture that piqued his interest.
"Deciding is hardest," Katja says to her art teacher, Quala-Lynn Young.
Katja hasn't started yet and there isn't much time left to complete the assignment but it'll get done, her teacher says. Young observed that last week, Katja spent 40 of 50 minutes of class time rolling clay in her hands to make a perfectly smooth ball.
"Everyone else was almost finished, and in the last five minutes Katja made a fabulous gecko," Young said. "She moves to her own drummer."
Katja and 23 other second-graders from Navy Hale Keiki School were at the Hawai'i State Art Museum yesterday to look at nearly three dozen "Geckos in Paradise" fiberglass sculptures — all of them 5 feet long — created by Island artists for a Kapi'olani Comprehensive Breast Center fund-raiser.
Among the eye-catching displays were Judy Kawabata's tuxedo-clad gecko as "The Conductor" and Rebecca de Vile's "Goofy Foot" surfer gecko. Doug Young came yesterday to tell the students how he created "The Sunbather" gecko, which brought in $10,000 for the breast center at a recent auction.
Richard Ambo • The Honolulu Advertiser
The purpose of yesterday's outing was to enhance creativity by showing students the diversity of what different artists could do with the same theme, Young said.
After much deliberation, Katja Koszuta-Davis drew the "Mirrored Gecko" because it fit her criteria of "nice and smooth."
The day trip's mission was accomplished, as creativity and imagination ran rampant among the young artists.
Katja finally found what she was looking for. Lying down facing a tree and looking up at a branch where Paul Gucheon's "Mirrored Gecko" was being displayed, Katja began her sketch work. It was done in about five minutes.
"Art is my favorite part of life because I get to make stuff,"
Katja said before handing in her sketch.
The "Mirrored Gecko" fit the "nice and smooth" model she was looking for, Katja said.
Richard Ambo • The Honolulu Advertiser
To her, Katja sees a multi-colored gecko with two horns on its forehead and one on its nose. "It would have super strength to protect itself from tarantulas and cobras," she said. "And it has to save the planet by helping people."
Doug Young talks with the Navy Hale Keiki students about how he created "The Sunbather" gecko, which raised $10,000 at auction.
Katja would name her super gecko "Katrenea."
Seven-year-old Stevie Knodel's ideal gecko is gray with pink polka dots.
"I would make it go swimming ... because I like to go swimming," Stevie said. "And it has to fly. That would be cool. So it has to have wings, wings with sparking stars on it."
Carley Warlick, 6, looks at the nearby dragon gecko sculptures and says that's how her gecko would look.
"It would have lots of sparkles and jewels," Carley said. "You know, for gecko parties."
Reach Rod Ohira at 535-8181 or rohira@honoluluadvertiser.com.
