Rangatira           Maori ceremonial feathered cape on male shoulder 

This is probably my most ambitious piece to date. The long process of creation started with the hand building of the body form. This was coil built with a stoneware paper clay. The cape was then created by rolling a very thin slab of paper clay between textured fabric on one side and a thin gauze on the other. The textured fabric was peeled away and the thin sheet of textured clay was draped over the male form with the gauze fabric still in place. This would later be burned away in firing. The cape was shaped then each feather was made and added individually.

The two parts were kept together to dry and were fired together to ensure fit. They were then separated  sealed and painted with acrylic paints. Both parts were lacquered before being put together again.The title Rangatira (chief) reflects the status of someone who would have owned such a feathered cape