An Ocean Of Street Art

Guest Post By Lisa Dorenfest

Sea Creatures Playing Poker
Artist: Ron English
Image Credit: Lisa Dorenfest – Oahu – February 2014

My love affair with the street art started in Oahu while sailing through Hawaii in 2014. I spotted ‘Sea Creatures Playing Poker’ when I went to renew our monthly marina-parking permit with Diamond Parking at the end of February.   It wasn’t there the month before.  I thought ‘I have to get a picture of this to share with my friends! Who wouldn’t love a picture of sea creatures playing poker?’ (Okay, maybe lots of people, but I LOVED It).

Queen Lili’uokalini and King Kalakaua
Artists: Gaia Solomon Enos and Prime
Image Credit: Lisa Dorenfest – Oahu – March 2014

Sadly, I had ‘discovered’ this art form two weeks after the Pow! Wow! Hawaii 2014 festival concluded in Oahu.  I may have missed the festival but was hooked on the art. It seemed that wherever I looked, I saw it and had to photograph it.

Tahiti Street Art
Artist: Unknown
Image Credit: Lisa Dorenfest – Tahiti – July 2014

My love affair deepened as I continued my sailing journey across the Pacific Ocean.

HERENUI
Artist: Askew One
Image Credit: Lisa Dorenfest – Tahiti – August 2014

When my partner and I sailed onward to Tahiti in July of 2014, I was treated to a rich mosaic of works by several local and international artists, including those created as part of the ONO-U 2014 festival…

Made In France
Artist: INTI
Image Credit: Lisa Dorenfest – Tahiti – July 2014

… which ended two months before my arrival.

Portion of Mural By TAHE, HTJ, SAJME, CRONOS, ABUZ, and Jops
Image Credit: Lisa Dorenfest – Tahiti – July 2014

And I found an abundance of street art while sailing New Zealand during the 2014-2015-cyclone season.  You can find the whole gallery here.

Greetings From Aotearoa
Artist: TrustMe
Image Credit: Lisa Dorenfest – Auckland – November 2014

Sadly, I continued to miss the festivals and gatherings, sometimes by just a few weeks.

Artist: BeFree
Image Credit: Lisa Dorenfest – Dunedin – February 2015

But when circumstances kept us in Auckland longer than planned, I finally experienced my first festival, All Fresco, in April 2015.

Askew One Creating Vegan To’Ona’i
Image Credit: Lisa Dorenfest – Auckland – April 2015

It was wonderful to enter the colorful world of so many incredibly talented and welcoming artists, many whose works I’d adored in other locations during my travels.   Having direct access to renowned artists and watching them give birth to masterful works was priceless. I consider my All Fresco 2015 experience to be one of the highlights of my round-the-world sailing journey.

Owen Dippie Creating ‘Hine’
Image Credit: Lisa Dorenfest – Auckland – April 2015

After enjoying a healthy street scene in New Zealand, I experienced a drought while sailing Fiji where the art form has not been embraced.

The Only Street Art I Saw In All Of Fiji
Image Credit: Lisa Dorenfest – Vanua Levu – June 2015

But it was ‘game on’ again when we sailed through New Caledonia in October 2015. It was here that I started merging my loves of street art and street photography as people seemed to appear on the scene at just the right time.

Nouméa Streets
Image Credit: Lisa Dorenfest – New Caledonia
October 2015

The 2015-2016-cyclone season brought us to Australia and a color explosion of street art.

Aboriginal Child
Artist: Adnate
Image Credit: Lisa Dorenfest – Newcastle – October 2015

From the first mural I spied the day of our arrival in Newcastle, through those that filled the street galleries in Sydney and Melbourne.

Look At Me
Image Credit: Lisa Dorenfest – Melbourne – January 2016

….to the burgeoning art scene in Townsville, I was never without a color fix.

Sugar Glider
Artist: Roa
Image Credit: Lisa Dorenfest – Townsville – June 2016

While I didn’t manage to attend a festival in Australia, I did have the good fortune of meeting several artists as they were creating their work on the streets.

Buttons Creating Maid Image Credit: Lisa Dorenfest – November 2015

Maid Artist: Buttons Image Credit: Lisa Dorenfest – Sydney – November 2015

Following favorite artists on Instagram allowed me to photograph important works before they were sadly removed.

Let Them Stay
Artist: Camo
Image Credit – Lisa Dorenfest – Newtown – February 2015

I am particularly drawn to works with a message. The world is definitely a better place when we all get along!

Aussie
Artist: Peter Drew
Image Credit: Lisa Dorenfest – Sydney – April 2016

As we sail into the Indian Ocean in 2016, I look forward to seeing the street art on offer in South East Asia and beyond. And I am certain to see works there from some of my favorite Pacific artists as their talent continues to attract global audiences.