We went to a traditional dyeing wananga today and saw the most beautiful thing…PARU! For those who don’t know what paru is, it is an amazing black mud, high in iron salts that is used by Māori as a natural dye, especially in weaving and for the dyeing of natural fibres and materials. This paru […]
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Honour
I spoke to my Mum and Dad today. Mum in Rotorua and Dad in Te Puke. I’ve realised now that I am older, how important my mātua are to me. As a rangatahi, a young person, selfish and tied up in my own world, I took my parents for granted. Actually I took life for […]
Splat
I’m still on the orange earthy theme – just can’t help myself when I start working with a colour! Sometimes it just goes on into the next rock! So I’ve called this one “splat” because I’m in a splat mood whatever that means! I felt like being loose with the paint brush today, slapped on […]
Manuka Honey
One of the many colours in this rock is called manuka honey. It is a creamy colour that is not visible but it is there! And as I write this I am listening to a Kuia from Ngāti Kuri talk about manuka honey and its healing properties. Saana Waitai Murray is her name and her […]
Transform
I started painting this rock a while back. I can’t remember exactly when – maybe a year or two? It was one of those rocks that I started painting, then part way through I looked at it and didn’t like what I saw so it got put in the “not satisfied with this” pile. So […]
Saying NO to drilling
I watched a video today on Facebook – Te Whānau ā Apanui and others had come to tautoko (support) a flotilla of yachts in Auckland on their way to the East Cape in protest of the Government’s decision to allow oil giant Petrobras to drill for oil offshore. I had goose bumps watching them do […]