Masina i le pō | Mahina o ka pō (Moon in the night)

Jon Apisa. Masina i le pō | Mahina o ka pō (Moon in the night). 2025. gouache on paper, 5.25" x 3.5" (13.335cm x 8.89cm).

Artist Notes:

Līhuʻe, Kauaʻi, Hawaiʻi October 7, 2025

“Masina i le pō | Mahina o ka pō” (Moon in the night) gouache painting was based on serenity while experiencing the moon in the night.

This gouache painting showcases the night sky illuminated by only the moon which is is truely amazing. Once your eyes adjust, the sky itself seems lightly illuminated. The deep ocean on the horizon, the “moana” is the darkness.

This makes the combination of the moon at night over the ocean remarkable.

In my opinion, moments such as this, referenced from experience are better communicated by myself through my artwork rather than words alone.

- Jon Apisa

I chose to title the artwork “Masina i le pō | Mahina o ka pō” (Moon in the night) in Gagana Sāmoa (Sāmoan language) and ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiʻian language).

I choose to title artwork in both languages because of my Sāmoan family heritage, also because I was raised in Hawaiʻi and lived in Hawaiʻi when I created the artwork.

Masina i le pō | Mahina o ka pō (Moon in the night). 2025. gouache on paper, 5.25" x 3.5" (13.335cm x 8.89cm).

“Moon” is: