Kawakawa is a species of tuna that lives in tropical and subtropical waters. This highly migratory species are streamlined, fast-swimming inhabitants of coastal and open water. They feed upon small fish and squid. Highly esteemed food fish of Hawaii, liked best for eating raw, but can be prepared like any tuna.
Chelsea was a classmate of mine at a color workshop here on Maui. A wonderful, talented artist whose work I have admired for years, I was delighted when she called me up one evening with news that she had a beautiful, freshly caught kawakawa for me to print and eat! Needless to say, I immediately grabbed my fish bag, filled it with ice, and drove upcountry to claim it.
This is my first kawakawa project, and I found it’s smooth skin and markings gorgeous but hard to capture. It took some trial and error, experimenting with different papers, silks, and bamboo cloth, but I was finally able to get a couple of amazing imprints that captured its beauty.
