I See You

68 x 13 inches
Kapa (Hawaiian barkcloth), wauke, kukui dyed wauke, natural dyes (òlena, persimmon, hili kukui, pōpolo) laundry bluing, black sumi ink
2022

Last fall, I experienced an incredible encounter with an octopus at the tide pools in Puako. I saw a movement in the shallow water and thought it was a fish but soon realized it was an octopus. She changed the colors and textures of her body so rapidly into the many colors of her surroundings and seemed to be signaling to me, “Look at me.” At the end of our encounter, as she clung to the lava’s edge below my feet she gazed at me deeply. We made eye contact for what seemed like a very long time, even though it was probably only minutes. It felt like a spiritual connection. I wanted to tell her “I see you, really see you.”