I sat down with Bene one beautiful Maui afternoon at a popular Kihei joint. I had previously seen her artwork and most recently, at a First Friday in Wailuku where the community converges to mingle, appreciate, savor and otherwise enjoy the showcase event. It was there where I saw and actually succumbed to my tactile instincts to actually feel her artwork. Her originals are spellbinding pieces of imagination allowed expression to its fullest. Picture this, a motorcycle body transformed into a psychedelic mix of layers of lines and colors, forms and textures. It is not easy to verbalize description, thus, the pictures accompanying this piece serve as the narratives themselves. Born in the bay area but came back to her roots in Maui sometimes in 2007, Bene Michelle Cambra comes from a long line of immigrants (originally the de Cambra family) from San Miguel, Portugal who settled on the island in the 1870’s. She was raised in the Bay area and returned to her roots in 2007 following an impressive route blazing path with her motorcycle inspired art forms in Los Angeles. One of her highlight projects was to participate in a fund raiser event to benefit Muscular Dystrophy, a charity which featured Jay Leno as the Grand Marshall in 2004. It was a celebrity turnout among motorcycle aficionados which included Dick Messer, then the Executive Director of the world famous Peterson Auto Museum in LA among many other luminaries. He won the bid for two of four pieces of Bene’s originals which were put up for auction by Butterfield, the prestigious international auction house. These pieces were signed by participants of note. The “Handlebar Table” and “Motorcycle Bar Stool” have the handwritten autographs of the likes of George Barris aka the “King of Custom”...... Read more on Full Issue!