Amandla

The Captain and I were absolutely moved by the latest painting created by our friend the artist Ken Charon.

Amandla Painting by Ken Charon
‘Amandla’
Ken Charon

The Captain and Ken met in 1974 at the the American College of Switzerland and reconnected during our visit to the Big Island.    We really hit it off with Ken and his wife, the artist Rebecca Rosen, so we invited them to sail with us from Oahu to The Big Island in April.

Ken Charon and Rebecca Rosen Charon Aboard Amandla
“Selfie’ Of Ken Charon And Rebecca Rosen Charon Aboard Amandla

An multi-day sail was a ‘bucket-list’ item for Ken and he created the painting in thanks for the experience.

I am a huge fan of Ken’s work.  He has developed a distinct style through years of studying in Europe and living in Hawaii. The recurring themes in his artwork [and his life] are peace, non-violence, interracial harmony, unity, environmental wisdom, Hawaiian culture, natural beauty, astronomical visions, universal spirituality and people who are important to him.

Ken has co-founded three galleries and exhibited his work in the Seychelles, Paris, the former Soviet Union and extensively throughout  Hawaii.

His work has been used commercially for logos, CDs and books and is held in private collections in France, Switzerland, Scotland, Bahamas, Seychelles Islands,  the United States (including the collections of former Vice President Al Gore and President Barack Obama) and soon, at sea onboard SY Amandla.

Ken has just shipped the painting to my friends Jean and Cago who will bring it with them to Bora Bora in June! Can Not Wait. So excited.

Not only is Ken a great artist, he is also lots of fun to hang out with.    We loved our time with Ken and Rebecca.  The painting of Amandla was absolute icing on the cake.

You can see more of Ken’s work on his  Website and on

2 comments Amandla

Ken Charon says:

Thanks Lisa for the exposure on your blog. Did you use the especially designed for sailing yacht, hanging system. The standard system would have rocked around with the boat. So I devised that method with your lifestyle in mind. Greetings to Captain Fabio and your guests.
Aloha from the Big Island. Ken Charon.

Thank you for creating such beautiful art. We plan to hang the painting on the wall above where Aliyah performed her holiday song on Amandla last December. But first, we need to get double sided hanging tape in Tahiti.

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