Hand printed & hand painted monoprints and limited edition giclée. Each original and unique.

THE TAVARUA KAVA CEREMONY "In Fiji and in other island cultures in the South Pacific, a Kava ceremony is a centuries old ritual carried out in just about every village you might have the opportunity to be invited to visit and participate in.

 It is commonplace for Fijian families and friends to gather together on a daily basis and enjoy kava together. It is what Fijians commonly refer to as ‘Fiji time’.

I was fortunate several times to present to Chief Druku Of Tavarua island a Kava offering.The kava ceremony focuses around the communal Kava tanoa (bowl). Guests sit in a circle around the bowl which is placed in front of Chief Druku. The ceremony commences with the actual production of the kava. The plant is pounded and the pulp placed into a cloth sack and mixed with water. The end result is a brownish coloured liquid – the Kava gold. It is then strained and ready for drinking.Your host will offer kava as high tide (full cup) or low tide (half cup). When presented with the kava, clap once and yell ‘Bula!’ (Fijian for hello). Drink the kava in one gulp if possible, clap three more times and end with the word Maca – pronounced ‘Ma-tha’.Finally, once you have finished your kava, you will feel a delightful sense of serenity and calm, with a slight numbness around your mouth, lips and tongue. A kava ceremony is always fun and full of laughter and smiles. Is is a true indicator of Fijian culture. This is why Fijians often serve kava to settle an argument or to make peace between villagers."

- Robert Santore

During the most challenging time of the 2020 COVID lock down, I decided to focus my attention creating a series of nudes using the same technique as the other works on paper and one I have employed for many years to create original, one-off monoprints. Each of these prints is unique and hand painted on the finest acid free oil papers and hand drawn with oil sticks and varnishes.