Coommissioned Kapa Arts Overview
Commissioned kapa works are about YOU! I am very pleased that people have asked me to help them tell their stories through the art of traditional Hawaiian kapa. Anciently, the most beautiful and decorative kapa would have been made for the Ali`i, or royalty. Nowadays, everyone can enjoy the richness of our Hawaiian culture as portrayed though this art. I grow my own wauke, or paper mulberry trees, aka Brousonettia papyrifera and use all natural dyes that I grow or gather myself.
Because some of the dyes are not extremely colorfast, I will discuss with you the possibility of adding watercolor inks to the dye to help strengthen and maintain colors, especially if a piece will be displayed in a bright area. The processing of the bark of this tree into a soft, pliable "cloth" is time consuming and sometimes painful work, but also joyful as I create something for you to cherish for years to come.
Kapa Clothes
The Baby Kapa
Keiki is the Hawaiian word that usually means child, but kama, or kamali`i, refers to a beloved child.
Kapa Inspired Interior Design
Kapa In Your Home
Although ancient Hawaiians didn't hang kapa on the walls of their homes, there's no reason you cant!
Kapa In High Places
A great honor for me as a Hawaiian kapa maker has been to create works of native Hawaiian art for corporate offices, hotels, malls and other public spaces.
Burial Kapa
As kapa makers, our most sacred traditional duty is to make sure the remains of our ancestors can be wrapped in kapa
