Phred and Phriend, 2010
I have an old friend here on Maui who has raised pheasants for many years. When the birds reached a certain age, he'd release them into the upper elevations of Haleakala. One of his male pheasants was particularly beautiful and was kept around for breeding purposes. His name was Phred, in homage to his pheasant heritage. After many fruitful years of devoted service, Phred finally passed on and was given the ultimate honor. He was memorialized in perpetuity and mounted on the mantel. Phred truly was a beautiful bird and brought a lot of beauty into the world.
Having the benefit of Phred's visage from which to work, I've rendered him along with a Hawaiian friend, whom I've named Phriend, and captured them in all their glory on a foggy day on the upper slopes of Haleakala. Phred's charm lives on.