Roots of Tarahaoa

This painting holds the memory of my land, the place that shaped me.

It looks toward Tarahaoa (Mount Peel) and Huatekerekere (Little Mount Peel), mountains that rise from the landscape where I grew up.

Rooted in the story of Tarahaoa and Huatekerekere, ancestors turned to mountains, their children standing as trees in Peel Forest, this work explores how land, people, and memory are intertwined. It reflects on belonging and the unseen networks that connect us to place, much like the roots and vibrations that bind the forest beneath the soil.

In creating Roots of Tarahaoa, I worked with cymatic vibrations, abstract mark-making, and 23.5ct gold leaf on glass to reveal an energetic dialogue between sound, light, and the land. The gold is both reflective and conductive, channels light across the surface, echoing the secret communication of trees and the communication of the land and trees.

Due to a scratch on the front of the glass, This piece has been discounted.