At the end of 2010 I went on the trip of a lifetime to China. I always thought that I would go back to see where my ancestors came from before they settled in New Zealand. Not only was this my first big trip overseas but the first time traveling to China. This trip has changed me. Experiencing the daily life over there and seeing where I came from, I found out more about myself.
 
Chinese craftsmanship and eye for detail is truly amazing especially their temples and city sites. The patterns of China have inspired me to create this work called Flight. Each of the patterns represents different cities that I visited on my journey. The patterns are placed accordingly to my itinerary starting with my hometown Ohakune and returning there at the end. Looking through my many photos of China I picked out certain ones to provide inspiration for patterns.
 
The phoenix is featured through the work to represent my journey and is a perfect symbol for myself. In Chinese mythology the phoenix is considered female and a symbol of rebirth.
 
I like the method of hand cutting and stencilling. It reminds me of the craftsmanship seen in China. As this is a visual story of my journey of rediscovery. Black was chosen to link to the idea of ink on paper writing the story.