Petroglyphs in Hawaii
Two Paddlers Ceramic Tile - Click to see more images
"Petroglyphs are prehistoric stone carvings. The word petroglyph comes from the Greek words petros, meaning stone, and glyphe, which means carving. Petroglyphs can be found worldwide, the oldest of which can be found in Europe and which date back more than 10,000 years. The petroglyphs of Hawaii were carved into the soft pahoehoe lava, large boulders, and lava tube walls. The pahoehoe lava is the smooth lava that looks like pancake batter. (A'a lava is the rough, sharp, jagged lava.) Some of these petroglyphs are believed to date back to the first settlers of the Hawaiian Islands, around the 4th century AD. They were used as the first means of written communication. These carvings can be found on all of the Hawaiian Islands,in more than 100 different locations."
Over the past 2 decades I traveled throughout the state to see, first-hand, these images left by ancient settlers of Hawaii. I have thousands of photographs, and free-hand drawings which inspire a series of tiles I create bearing my favorite images on glazed ceramic tiles.
My tiles measure 13" x 13" (1" thick) and are framed in wood. They have ceramic glazed images on a terracotta tile, which is then sealed. Each tile has a hanger on the back for hanging in a number of configurations; a pair, several in a horizontal or vertical row - the possibilities are practically endless. Because the tile colors are fired glazes they can hang in direct sunlight without concern of fading (the frame may need to be oiled occasionally). They can also hang in a room with high humidity, like a bathroom, pool house and/or hot tub. I hope you appreciate my interpretation of the petroglyph images and recognize their artistic qualities.
* CLICK HERE TO SEE PETROGLYPH IMAGES, PRICES AND COLORS CHOICES *