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metal prints fiji islands metal prints fiji metal prints pacific metal prints oceania metal prints south seas metal prints south pacific metal prints fijian culture metal prints women metal prints pacific women metal prints pacific life metal prints traditional fiji metal prints fijian traditions metal prints melanesian metal prints indigenous culture metal prints barkcloth metal prints

paintings fiji islands paintings fiji paintings pacific paintings oceania paintings south seas paintings south pacific paintings fijian culture paintings women paintings pacific women paintings pacific life paintings traditional fiji paintings fijian traditions paintings melanesian paintings indigenous culture paintings barkcloth paintings

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One in a series of paintings on handmade Fijian barkcloth celebrating an ancient Fijian welcome tradition. Warriors returning from battle by canoe would be greeted on the shore by the young women from their village. The maidens, with finely braided locks as a proud mark of virginity, would be bearing gifts, including swathes of barkcloth and treasured whale’s teeth. A variation of this custom is still used today, to celebrate the arrival of a new plane, boat, or other significant acquisition. In modern times, the young women often carry bales of brightly coloured cloth, looped between them in a colourful and jolly procession.

The Fiji Islands are my home, and source of inspiration, as I use dyes, paint, barkcloth, sand, silk and cement to respond in my own creative way to the challenges, tension, and beauty of life in a developing Pacific island nation. Sea changes can have surprising effects: since leaving behind all that was familiar in my American/German upbringing, to build a life here in my husband’s homeland two decades ago, my art has taken on dynamism of its own… My work is awash with the intense, vibrant colors of the tropics, and my themes are often an exploration of Fiji’s stunning natural environment and rich cultural heritage. Traditional barkcloth crafted by women from my mother-in-law’s island village often serves as my canvas. Steeped...