Artist Statement:
Polynesian tattooing began over 2000 years ago, and part of its purpose was to identify personal lineage, status, rank, and story. Greatly revered, Polynesian tattoo masters had spiritual responsibilities that strictly limited their behaviors so as not to offend their Gods.
At Neue Museum in NYC, viewing the great artistry of Austrian symbolist painter Gustav Klimt, tattoo design ignited for me. The richly patterned geometries in Klimt’s work reminded me of ancient Polynesian tattoos, and in, Blessings of a Golden Rose, I have linked the two styles.