Kahakuloa Block Print Series by amanda michele

Aloha! I am a Washington State native, who relocated to Maui with my husband in the Winter of 2017. We live in Kahakuloa (kaa-haa-koo-loh-aa) Village, with my Great Uncle Bruce Turnbull, a master sculptor, who's called Hawaii home since the mid-60’s.

I am  a multi-disciplinary artist who graduated from Cornish College of the Arts. I am the sole proprietor of Arts Enabler, a small business dedicated to empowering wayfinding artists. I help folks, perhaps such as yourself, gain clarity and confidence in their voice, vision, and vocation. We identify and co-create next steps to take in their career, opportunities for learning, and locate generative spaces for relationship building and inspiration.

Pu‘u Koa‘e, Kahakuloa, is the first block carved in the Kahakuloa Block Print Series. Pu‘u Koa‘e (Hill of Tropicbirds), is also known as Kahakuloa Head, and Elephant Mountain. This series is made in devotion to my location; an isolated fishing village founded over one thousand years ago by Polynesians in canoe. A place where King Kahekili lived and daily jumped from Pu’u Koa’e into Kahakuloa Bay; a refuge for ancient Hawaiian lawbreakers and a present-day sanctuary for me and my family.

These linocut block prints are hand carved in Kahakuloa by me. I pressed the blocks with water soluble ink onto vintage Hawaiian paper. They may include mixed-media and various elements such as collage, painting, and drawing. These are unique and original prints, not digital reproductions.