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acrylic prints fiji islands acrylic prints pacific acrylic prints oceania acrylic prints south seas acrylic prints south pacific acrylic prints fijian culture acrylic prints pacific life acrylic prints traditional fiji acrylic prints fijian traditions acrylic prints melanesian acrylic prints indigenous culture acrylic prints fiji acrylic prints barkcloth acrylic prints fijian people acrylic prints ethnic acrylic prints

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

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This painting celebrates 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 whales 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...