The Kumulipo, Hawaiian Creation Chant, states “Hanau ka Palaoa noho i kai, ” which translates to “Born is the whale living in the sea.” It traces Kānaka Maoli genealogy and the dawn of creation through the first stirrings of life from the coral polyp. The ocean as a primordial predecessor to life.
Whales are geographically rooted from my experiences living on the Hawaiʻi islands. Birthed from the depths of ocean creation, these divine messengers breach the waterʻs surface into our reality. These sentient mammals migrate across the Pacific Ocean appearing transient in their existence from the shore; Yet, are omnipresence underwater regardless of our human gaze. Despite vast distances, their acoustics reverberate through ocean currents, resonating a reminder in our bodies of their realm.
Anagama Woodfire with ‘Ohi’a, Koa, and Suji pine
You left seeds in my clay.
They've grown in your absence.
9" x 5.75" x 3.75"
2017; stoneware, nichrome wire, and copper
6.25" x 6.5" x 4.25"
2017; stoneware, nichrome wire, and copper
Different Angle
9" x 3.4" x 3.25"
2017; stoneware, nichrome wire, and copper
Detail
7.75" x 4.875" x 5.25"
2017; stoneware, paper slip, nichrome wire, and copper
Detail
6.25" x 3.25" x 4.5"
2017; stoneware, nichrome wire, and copper
2023
14.75” x 9.5” x 6.75”
2019; Stoneware, metal, and coral
15.75” x 16.75” x 8”
2019; Stoneware
11.3” x 8.5” x 7.75”
2019; Stoneware, nichrome wire, and copper
7” x 7.5” x 4.3”
2019; Stoneware, and nichrome wire
13.75” x 12.5”
2018; Stoneware
12.5” x 9” x7.75”
2018; Stoneware
(Different Angle)
12.75" x 6.75" x 10"
2017; Stoneware
12.75" x 6.75" x 10"
2017; Stoneware
12.75" x 12" x 4.5”
2017; Stoneware, underglaze, mother of pearl, and gold luster
Detail
18.75" x 18.5" x 9.75"
2017; Stoneware, acrylic, and gold leaf
10.25" x 11" x 9"
2017; Cone 10, Stoneware
2017; Cone 10, Stoneware
2017; Cone 10, Stoneware (together)
17" x 7" x 7.25"
2017; Cone 10, Stoneware
17" x 7" x 7.25"
2017; Cone 10, Stoneware (Detail)
19.75" x 9.5" x 10.6"
2016; Cone 10, Stoneware
15.4" x 6"
2015; Cone 10, Stoneware, Soda-Fired
2013
14.25” x 9” x 5.75”
2011; Cone 10, Stoneware
61.5” x 95” x 38”
2013; Stoneware, encaustic, and bamboo leaves
Bachelor of Fine Arts Exhibition
In my first encounters of the bamboo surrounding the art building, I found I missed the distinct personality each plant has. At first I perceived the plants only as visual mass of tall stems. Through more careful observation over time, I began to see each plant and root system as an individual. More specifically, I began to see the bamboo root systems as individual human hands.
My piece references my transformative experience visualizing the bamboo as human form. In making each ceramic bamboo culm represent relationships with influential people throughout my life, I have sculpted the root systems of each culm based on the narratives I have had with each person. I am ultimately finding myself through the experiences of others and the transformative anthropomorphic presence of the bamboo.
61.5” x 95” x 38”
2013; Stoneware, encaustic, and bamboo leaves
61.5” x 95” x 38”
2013; Stoneware, encaustic, and bamboo leaves
