“These selected works represent the range of approaches to painting on and working with kapa (Native Hawaiian barkcloth) within my practice. A traditional non-woven textile similar to a cross between cloth and paper, its natural fibrous qualities support contemporary uses like two-dimensional painting and hand-stitching. I believe it is important to carry kapa-making into the future by innovating with this material through hand-painted designs made using earth pigments, experimental mixed-media, and ‘patchwork quilt-like’ pieces that push the boundaries of such a simple medium. Each pattern carries specific cultural significance and symbolism, telling a unique story, whether it be about relation to the land, intersectional identity, or ancestral cosmologies.”