WINNER

Congratulations to Shane Hamamoto! His depiction of two black francolins in the stream rocks impressed our panel of wildlife biologists and was chosen as the winner of the 2005 Hawaii Wildlife Stamp contest.

Shane Hamamoto is currently employed by the Department of Design and Construction, Division of Land Surveying and Acquisition, City and County of Honolulu.

As a youngster, Shane attended scholarship art classes at the Honolulu Academy of Arts and the Holy Family Catholic Academy. His love of painting and drawing nature’s wildlife from hunting and fishing, stems from an active lifestyle and a strong belief in protecting the natural environment of our beautiful islands.

During his spare time, Shane practices the Japanese art called Gyotaku doing impressions of fish caught by friends and referrals. He can be reached at shamamoto@honolulu.gov

RUNNER-UP

Local artist Mike Sakamoto, born and raised in Hawaii, paints both watercolor and oil landscapes and seascapes around the Big Island of Hawaii. A Fine Arts major at the University of Hawaii, Hilo Campus he has been drawing and painting all his life. His paintings have a free and spontaneous style and he enjoys the use of bright colors in both oil and watercolor. As for subject matter, Mike paints everything from still lifes to seashore scenes to images of the mountains of Hawaii. Since he is known as a fisherman, he also paints very detailed images of gamefish and colorful
reef fish.

Mike Sakamoto is better known for his involvement in the locally produced fishing TV program entitled; FISHING TALES w/ MIKE SAKAMOTO. The host, Executive Producer, writer and underwater videographer of the program, he has been producing the half-hour program
for over 18 years and have completed over 485 programs. At present it is being aired nationally on The Outdoor Channel:Chl.#212, digital. FISHING TALES also aired in Japan and England under a international syndication.

RUNNER-UP

Norman Nagai grew up in a "sugar village" on the outskirts of Hilo, Hawaii. His love of nature developed as he frequently explored the ohia and fern forests near his home. One of his goals is to educate the public about the plight of Hawaii's endangered wildlife through his paintings and his wood carvings of endangered Hawaiian birds. He has created art for several wildlife stamps including the 1986 Illinois Salmon Stamp and the 1999, 2002, and 2004 Hawaii Wildlife Stamps. He was selected for the "Top 40" Traveling Exhibition Tour exhibiting across the State of Wyoming and his work has been exhibited in galleries nationwide as well as been published in several national and local magazines. He can be contacted at norman-nagai@hawaii.rr.com.

RUNNER-UP

David K. Hayes was born in Hawaii and has lived in these islands all his life. He graduated from St. Louis High School and later earned his B.A. in art at the University of Hawaii. He is currently the Art Director of Glassware Decorators of Hawaii, Ltd. Dave has also been a member of several artist guilds and conservation organizations throughout the years. Pursuing his interests in cross-country backpacking, he has over the past two decades explored the more remote regions around the state, and is familiar with the native and introduced biota of the Hawaiian Archipelago. "I try to capture within an image an accurate portrayal of a particular species' interaction within it's established environment. Both introduced as well as indigenous flora and fauna are presented in an effort to give a more honest assessment of a particular ecosystem's state of existence . . " David can be reached at 847-0555.