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Born and raised in Hawaii, Greg West, is a lifelong artist and cultural practitioner. Cultural education is a family tradition with native Hawaiians and West credits his mother with instilling the values of art and culture into him. Growing up he didn't have one main "kumu" (teacher) but says he learned from many. Formally he was trained in drawing in New Jersey, and art techniques at Philadelphia College of Art and Design as a teenager. West experimented briefly with more traditional training in California for college but returned to Hawaii to purse his passions as a self taught artist.
Today, West teaches others both in cultural and visual arts. West is a painter, ipu (gourd), instrument artist, weaver, and jeweler . Modest in needs and happy being an artist , West lives off the grid with no electricity. He states "he is extremely grateful and likes sharing creativity and joy" through his work.
Greg constructs his flutes('ohe) and nose flutes (`ohe hanu `ihu, “bamboo [for] nose breath” (Nona Beamer lectures), out of 20 year old bamboo which has been cured for 10 additional years before use. This curing time creates excellent color. West then employs a traditional Japanese technique to burn in the holes, preventing cracking and pressure on the bamboo. To complete the works, either kukui oil is applied or a Chinese red lacquer, protecting the piece from moisture.
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