SARAH TAYLOR KO

Inspired by traditional Pacific designs, I created this painting with a triangular grid undergirding the composition. The triangle often symbolically represents the connection between the land, ocean, sky. Canoe sails, rows of shark teeth , and spear tips are folded into potential meanings alluding to strength, connection, and adaptability. Drawings of staples like pineapple and breadfruit reference the land. Breadfruit quilt patterns also add nuance throughout the painting.

Hina Hanai a ka Malama (Hina Nourished by the Moon) 48” x48” mixed media on board Like the character arc in a fairytale, Hina Hanai a ka Malama moved from a vague idea to the temptation to stop too soon, became seemingly ruined, and at last harmonious. At first I didn’t know this painting was going to be about Hina who is a mythical Eve-like figure in Hawaiian folklore. All I could imagine were triangles. I read about the North Star pattern in quilt-making which was used to