Eric Chandler's Hawaiian name is Kamakai'ai, which means the eyes that seek beauty, and when 11 women came to his "Island Arrangements" class at Copia, they got much more than directions for making tropical floral arrangements: They got a glimpse of Chandler's philosophy on life, flowers and the search for beauty in every day life.

"In floral arrangements, plants tell you what needs to be done," Chandler explained. "Flowers will tell you where they should be placed, if you stop and listen."

Chandler, who is a design coordinator and culinary assistant at Copia, moved to the Big Island of Hawaii from Washington when he was 17. There, living "at the edge of the volcano," he fell under the spell of Pele, the ancient goddess of the volcano.

"She intervened and began to teach me appreciation for the native spirit world," he said.

In dealing with flowers and arrangements Chandler advises students to "think of living things in the totality of their life span -- from budding and blooming flowers that are equally beautiful in the stages of drying out. Usually we say the flowers are dead and we'll throw them out. But you can make potpourri. After all you don't discard someone because suddenly they've become mature."

Using the bold and colorful Hawaiian plants and flowers in arrangements, Chandler said, is "a different kind of arrangement because you're talking about architecture. (Hawaiian) flower stalks are sometimes 1 or 2 inches around. It requires a more architectural approach to flower arranging."

They are ideal, he added, for many of the bold, dramatic houses in the valley that feature large rooms. "In a home that has large open spaces, the challenge is that floral presentations need to be bold strong and with great visual impact. That's only the result of manipulation and skillful arrangement of items with large visual mass themselves."

He said they incorporated principles of ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arranging, for the tropical flowers. "We went with the 'heaven, man and earth' ikebana approach but then one step further other to add the architectural element."

The most effective arrangement are asymmetrical, he said, "letting the visual weight of the flowers speak to you, to make it more natural than contrived."

The other advantage of tropical flowers in arrangements "is that they lend themselves to the addition of other elements -- fruit, feathers."

His source for tropical flowers is the San Francisco Flower Market -- "You can find every orchid, every plant there," he said.

The Web site for the Flower Market, sfflmart.com, lists all the vendors found in the Brannan Street district, including Aloha State Flowers.

Globe-trotting to St. Helena

Chandler's mission to educate himself on design and beauty has taken him around the world. He has worked as a chef and sommelier, studied in Japan and travel to Europe, China ("23 times"), Tibet and New Zealand. "Whether it's flower arrangement, food, wine it's all connected to beauty," Chandler said. "The world is so filled with wonderful treasures, if you take a moment to take a look at them. The flowers, plants and trees belong to everyone and we have a responsibility not to take more than you need."

Eventually his path brought him to St. Helena. "There is such a pride here, that is born in the earth," he said. "You know it and you feel it and you taste it. We're all farmers. And," he added, "a man in the kitchen is the sexiest thing on earth. Ask any woman.

"If you have a spiritual belief in something greater than yourself then you begin and you don't take all the responsibilities on your back, you'd be amazed at what happens," he said, "What I'd like to see is taking food, wine and art off the pedestal."

In his class, Chandler said, he wanted his students to create "an expression of design, an expression of beauty. I wanted people to go into the interior of the flower."

His class, he said, "was about the essence of diversity and how to appreciate a young rose and a one that will become potpourri. One comparison -- I was in a room with 11 exquisite woman who were completely different like the flowers we were arranging."

What was the reaction to his class? "They began to say, 'Oh, I never thought of that.'" Chandler said with a chuckle. "I also told them that if most men knew they could be in a room in 11 beautiful ladies, they'd take up flower arranging."

Chandler, as part of Copia's outreach to the community, will be speaking to local garden clubs as well as conducting classes at Copia and creating exhibits. His next class at Copia will be a "Potpourri Party" July 16 from 3 to 4:30 p.m. It will also be offered July 20 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. At this hands-on class he will teach the secrets of blending decorative, aromatic mixtures of herbs, flowers and fruits and help participants to create their own signature potpourri. The cost is $45, ($35 for Copia members), which includes admission. To register call 259-1600.