Geosiapo - The Gathering Clouds
SKU:
300_GS_TGTRGCLDS
NZ$499.99
NZ$499.99
Unavailable
per item
Samoan Siapo Inspired wooden wall art.
Dimensions W: 295mm, H: 295mm, D: 18mm
Weight: 1.0kg
Material: V-Carved MDF, Acrylic Paint, Spray Varnish, Hanging Wire
Limited to: 13
Your unique limited edition art piece
Roy McDougall makes your exclusive signed art piece
We ship for $25 within NZ and from $50 internationally
Your artwork arrives ready to hang.
This Artwork is Not Weatherproof
1 available
The Geosiapo - The Gathering Clouds Story:
Geosiapo - The Gathering Clouds is part of the Geosiapo Series.
Geosiapo - The Gathering Clouds is inspired by Gordon Walters' Koru Series and ultimately Polynesian Siapo design. The design features parallel lines representing the sky and decorated with disorderly circles which represents cloud formations. The lines use a bright Ago (yellow) to maximise contrast against the black background.
Clouds and Navigation
Polynesian navigators could identify the clouds that resulted from the white sand of coral atolls reflecting heat into the sky. Subtle differences in the colour of the sky also could be recognised as resulting from the presence of lagoons or shallow waters, as deep water was a poor reflector of light while the lighter colour of the water of lagoons and shallow waters could be identified in the reflection in the sky.
In Eastern Polynesia, navigators sailing from Tahiti to the Tuamotus would sail directly east towards Anaa atoll, which has a shallow lagoon that reflects a faint green colour on to the clouds above the atoll. If the navigator drifted off their course, they could correct their course when they sighted the reflection of the lagoon in the clouds in the distance.
Samoan Siapo
Siapo is a Samoan word for tapa or bark cloth that has been painted or imprinted with various design motifs. There are two types of siapo which differ mainly in how the design motif is applied on the bark cloth and the colors used.
Two techniques are used in creating designs: siapo ‘elei (the rubbing method) and siapo mamanu (the freehand method). Siapo ‘elei uses a design board (upeti) to imprint designs on the bark cloth. An unfinished cloth is placed on a upeti that has been covered with dye; the top surface is then rubbed to transfer the design from the board to the cloth. In the siapo mamanu method, each design image is hand painted on the surface of the cloth, allowing for greater artist creativity.
The preparation process involved in the materials used to create Siapo is an art itself. The canvas of Siapo is the bark of the Paper Mulberry Tree. This cloth is known as u'a. The process of preparing the u'a includes harvesting, stripping, separating, scraping, and beating. Once the process is complete, the u'a is laid out to dry.
The dyes used in Samoan Siapo also come from nature. The dyes are o'a, lama, loa, ago and soa'a. O'a is the brown dye and is the base for all other dyes. It is extracted from the bark of the Blood Tree, also known as the Bishofia Javanica. Lama is the black dye and comes from the kernel of the Candlenut. Loa is the red dye and comes from the Lipstick Tree. Ago is the yellow dye. It is extracted from roots of Tumeric. The traditional design elements used in siapo decoration are typically plant or animal motifs or other images from Samoan life. Common examples include fa’a’ali’ao (trochus shell), fa’a’aveau (starfish), and fa’a masina (rolled pandanus leaves). Design motifs are typically presented within a grid created by rectangular or oblong sections.
Gordon Walters Koru Series (Extract from Wikipedia)
Gordon Frederick Walters (24 September 1919 – 5 November 1995) was a Wellington-born artist and graphic designer who is significant to New Zealand culture due to his representation of New Zealand in his Modern Abstract artworks.
As Gordon Walters' designs progressed, New Zealand shapes and ideas were important themes. The geometric spiral form of the koru began appearing consistently in his work from the late 1950s. His design straightened the stem of the koru in a way not seen in customary Māori contexts. Walters stated “My work is an investigation of positive/ negative relationships within a deliberately limited range of forms; the forms I use have no descriptive value in themselves and are used solely to demonstrate relations. I believe that dynamic relations are most clearly expressed by the repetition of a few simple elements.” From the mid-1980s, Walters was accused of exploitative appropriation of Māori art by several critics, both Māori and Pākehā (European New Zealander).
Creating the Geosiapo
I created the design in Auckland, starting with a digital illustration, then bringing the illustration into my CNC Program where I design the cutting paths. From the paths I generate the g-code or CNC cutting code ready for the carving process. The material is loaded on the CNC machine and the piece is carved in around an hour. The carved art piece is then inspected, sanded, coloured, varnished and finally a hanging wire installed.
As you can see to create this sculpted piece there are many processes involved making it a truly special and bespoke item.
Packaging:
The item will be packaged with bubble wrapping inside a cardboard outer box.
Delivery:
The item will be couriered to your chosen destination. Courier and Shipping times TBC
Geosiapo - The Gathering Clouds is part of the Geosiapo Series.
Geosiapo - The Gathering Clouds is inspired by Gordon Walters' Koru Series and ultimately Polynesian Siapo design. The design features parallel lines representing the sky and decorated with disorderly circles which represents cloud formations. The lines use a bright Ago (yellow) to maximise contrast against the black background.
Clouds and Navigation
Polynesian navigators could identify the clouds that resulted from the white sand of coral atolls reflecting heat into the sky. Subtle differences in the colour of the sky also could be recognised as resulting from the presence of lagoons or shallow waters, as deep water was a poor reflector of light while the lighter colour of the water of lagoons and shallow waters could be identified in the reflection in the sky.
In Eastern Polynesia, navigators sailing from Tahiti to the Tuamotus would sail directly east towards Anaa atoll, which has a shallow lagoon that reflects a faint green colour on to the clouds above the atoll. If the navigator drifted off their course, they could correct their course when they sighted the reflection of the lagoon in the clouds in the distance.
Samoan Siapo
Siapo is a Samoan word for tapa or bark cloth that has been painted or imprinted with various design motifs. There are two types of siapo which differ mainly in how the design motif is applied on the bark cloth and the colors used.
Two techniques are used in creating designs: siapo ‘elei (the rubbing method) and siapo mamanu (the freehand method). Siapo ‘elei uses a design board (upeti) to imprint designs on the bark cloth. An unfinished cloth is placed on a upeti that has been covered with dye; the top surface is then rubbed to transfer the design from the board to the cloth. In the siapo mamanu method, each design image is hand painted on the surface of the cloth, allowing for greater artist creativity.
The preparation process involved in the materials used to create Siapo is an art itself. The canvas of Siapo is the bark of the Paper Mulberry Tree. This cloth is known as u'a. The process of preparing the u'a includes harvesting, stripping, separating, scraping, and beating. Once the process is complete, the u'a is laid out to dry.
The dyes used in Samoan Siapo also come from nature. The dyes are o'a, lama, loa, ago and soa'a. O'a is the brown dye and is the base for all other dyes. It is extracted from the bark of the Blood Tree, also known as the Bishofia Javanica. Lama is the black dye and comes from the kernel of the Candlenut. Loa is the red dye and comes from the Lipstick Tree. Ago is the yellow dye. It is extracted from roots of Tumeric. The traditional design elements used in siapo decoration are typically plant or animal motifs or other images from Samoan life. Common examples include fa’a’ali’ao (trochus shell), fa’a’aveau (starfish), and fa’a masina (rolled pandanus leaves). Design motifs are typically presented within a grid created by rectangular or oblong sections.
Gordon Walters Koru Series (Extract from Wikipedia)
Gordon Frederick Walters (24 September 1919 – 5 November 1995) was a Wellington-born artist and graphic designer who is significant to New Zealand culture due to his representation of New Zealand in his Modern Abstract artworks.
As Gordon Walters' designs progressed, New Zealand shapes and ideas were important themes. The geometric spiral form of the koru began appearing consistently in his work from the late 1950s. His design straightened the stem of the koru in a way not seen in customary Māori contexts. Walters stated “My work is an investigation of positive/ negative relationships within a deliberately limited range of forms; the forms I use have no descriptive value in themselves and are used solely to demonstrate relations. I believe that dynamic relations are most clearly expressed by the repetition of a few simple elements.” From the mid-1980s, Walters was accused of exploitative appropriation of Māori art by several critics, both Māori and Pākehā (European New Zealander).
Creating the Geosiapo
I created the design in Auckland, starting with a digital illustration, then bringing the illustration into my CNC Program where I design the cutting paths. From the paths I generate the g-code or CNC cutting code ready for the carving process. The material is loaded on the CNC machine and the piece is carved in around an hour. The carved art piece is then inspected, sanded, coloured, varnished and finally a hanging wire installed.
As you can see to create this sculpted piece there are many processes involved making it a truly special and bespoke item.
Packaging:
The item will be packaged with bubble wrapping inside a cardboard outer box.
Delivery:
The item will be couriered to your chosen destination. Courier and Shipping times TBC