Kohatu – Rock

I would like to introduce you to a natural resource that is very special to me and that I am using to create beautiful personalised works of art.

My people are an oral people and a lot of our history has been handed down orally or through the beautiful works of art inspired by the patterns of nature that tell our stories. The symbols that were created would depict a person’s whakapapa (genealogy), their history, their language.

Ten years ago I started creating in a way that I had never created before. I would paint on to rocks, I would look at the surface of a rock and I would see the design and I would paint. I would paint stories from the rocks themselves and I would paint stories from the people who had shared them with me. Someone would tell me their story and I would paint it. Often the forms would come out in a mandala type symbol, a circular shape expanding from the centre. And so I decided that through this art form, through this gift I would be able to give something to others.

The process for creating these art works is very involved and once I begin and always while I’m working, I am holding that person’s story in my mind and giving it my full attention.

When painting the art work, I begin at the centre and move out. It is a ritual that I have always used and feel that it is right for me and the art works that I am creating. I use acrylic paint and once brush is in hand I am designing as I go.

Once the design is finished, the painting is sealed with a natural sealing agent and then set aside to dry.

This natural resource we call “kohatu” or “rock”. But these are not just any rocks and our conceptual Maori language gives real meaning to the words. The word “koha” means “gift” or “to gift” and the word “tu” gives emphasis or importance to that gift. So for me, they are very special gifts.

I come from the West Coast of the North Island of Aotearoa NZ and we have many beaches covered in this beautiful rock. It is volcanic and very hard so it will last for many many years and the actual rock itself is probably many years old already!

The rocks are gathered with the utmost respect for the sea and land from which they come and carry the “mauri” or energy of the land and so before I even work with them, they have a story of their own. Some people say that certain rocks and stones have healing qualities and I believe this is what drew me to painting on rocks many years ago.

If you would like to know more about these special rocks or how you could have your own personalised rock painted for you, please visit http://handpaintedrocks.com ‘ll see you over there.

Also visit my personal digital story and my te reo o Taranaki digital story where you will see some images of our stunning whenua (land) in Taranaki where I gather my kohatu and where our spiritual mountain, Taranaki stands.

Arohanui,

Jo