Meditations

kapa, book art
7 x 6 x 5 inches

This artist book tells the story of my kapa making journey. I dedicate this book to my beloved kumu kapa, Roen Kahalewai Hufford, who inspires me with her passion and innovations for making kapa. I am deeply grateful for her huge heart, generosity of spirit, and cultivating a nurturing space for learning and growth for her haumana.

The pages on the left show the words of my kumu in quotes which I typed on a manual typewriter, and the pages on the right describe how her words landed on me. The cover is made with leftover kapa, including kapa dyed with indigo, natural kapa, and kapa used to test dyes and stamps. It was hand-stitched with silk and hau thread and stamped with vermillion sumi ink. 

The pages are made with kapa and hanji (traditional Korean paper) which I made using undyed paper mulberry fiber and pulp dyed with indigo and logwood. Some pages are also made using joomchi, a traditional Korean paper texturizing method. The book stand is made with leftover kapa which I folded and hand stitched with silk and cotton threads using mending stitches and kkojipgi, a traditional Korean pinch stitch technique. The bottom of the book stand holds the colophon in a slot.