Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 5, Number 10, 1 October 1988 — "Huli Honua" Pottery Features Local-made Glazes [ARTICLE]

"Huli Honua" Pottery Features Local-made Glazes

A unique exhibition of pottery by loeal ceramic artist Kauka deSilva will be featured in a one-man show from September 25 to October 8 at Gallery EAS in Makaloa Square, one block mauka of Ala Moana Center. The exhibit title is "Huli Honua: from the earth," and reflects the unusual ehoiee of the artist in using glazes that he has created exclusively from native Hawaiian materials. deSilva expressed his feelings about his art:

"For the past year I have wanted to create pieces that reflect my cultural heritage and the beauty of the land. I felt the best way to do this was to use native Hawaiian materials for my ceramic glazes. Since there was no precedent for this, I began by testing over 500 different plants and native materials. A year later I narrowed the materials down to seven: pahoehoe lava, 'ohi'a lehua and koa ash from the volcano area of Hawaii; lau-

hala and kamani ash and soils and clay from O ahu. The glazes these produce range in color from bright red to black to rust orange and white. In this way I feel that after 18 years of pottery I am beginning to express the true character, beauty and uniqueness of these Hawaiian Islands." deSilva notes that using native materials sometimes produces interesting results. He found that ground-up pahoehoe lava, when used as a glaze,

transforms from jet black to a bright red when fired in the kiln, symbolically turning back into the fire of its creation. Kauka deSilva was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, son of Ed and Loma deSilva. He attended the Kamehameha Schools, graduating in 1971. He credits Kamehameha art instructdr Paul Konishi for providing him with "the insight and inspiration

to make art a career." deSilva attended the University of Redlands, in Redlands, California and Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan, receiving a B.A. degree from both institutions. While in Japan he also served as an apprentice to master potter Koiehi Takita for two years. It was there he first learned about the Japanese approach to making glazes from natural materials. Upon completion of his apprenticeship, he enrolled in Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, eaming a Master's degree in Fine Art.

deSilva is currently a full-time instructor of ceramics and sculpture at Kapiolani Community College. He has had numerous exhibitions, both loeal and international, and his work is represented in the collections of such institutions as: The State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, Honolulu Federal Savings and Loan, the Hyatt Regency Hotels, Amfac, ine., the Honolulu Academy of Arts, Bank of Hawaii and the St. Louis Museum of Art in St. Louis, Missouri.