Hawaiian Batik - Abundance of Lehua Crescent, 2025
Entry/Object ID
MK_2165
Description
The piece was deeply inspired by the artist's sailing voyage to Lehua Island, a small, uninhabited, crescent-shaped volcanic cone and wildlife sanctuary located just north of Niʻihau and west of Kauaʻi.
The creation of this piece represents a blend of traditional Pacific and Indonesian textile arts: It is painted directly onto traditional bark cloth made in the Pacific islands.
This evocative piece marks the artist's first venture into batik, a wax-resist dyeing technique. A mix of waxes is painted onto the kapa cloth to form a negative impression before it is submerged in natural indigo dye.
The piece captures the raw, rugged beauty and the ecological rebirth of the Lehua crescent. The island itself serves as a vital sanctuary for native Hawaiian plants and seabirds.
