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Carved “Thinking Woman”
statue by Yaw Baafi of Ghana - yawbaafi@yahoo.com
Tapa piece on the table by Malcolm D - malcolmd@monotapu.co.nz |
Tapa
Lampshade
by Lisa Shepard
Imagine a fabric made without threads,
weaving, knitting or stitching of any kind, and you have a
distinctive textile art known as tapa cloth, an ancient craft
that continues today in the South Pacific. Before the
development of fabric looms, tapa cloths were created, serving
both utilitarian and ceremonial functions. We look to the
textile artists of the South Pacific Islands for decorative
inspiration, in the form of a handpainted lampshade.
Pacific Islanders traditionally exchange
gifts of textiles during special ceremonies, and its believed
that the positive “mana” of the artist who created it is
inherent in the piece. This energy, or karma, also indicates
the importance of the gift, and bestows good fortune upon the
receiver.
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Tapa (a Polynesian word) is made from the pulpy inner bark of
indigenous trees, usually mulberry trees. A pains-taking
process results in a felted cloth felted cloth that is now
ready for the application of painted or stenciled designs.
Shades of beige, black and brown are always
easy to incorporate into your existing scheme, whether a room
features lots of wood furniture, metal or glass acents, in a
variety of decorating styles. Tapa designs are especially
complementary with many African art styles. The hand-drawn
geometrics and naturalistic themes give it a quality that is
both ancient and contemporary at the same time. Designs are
mostly symmetrical, forming repeating triangles, squares and
diamond shapes. |
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Excerpted
from GLOBAL EXPRESSIONS: Decorating with Fabrics from
Around the World by Lisa Shepard
[Learn
More] |
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YOU’LL NEED:
paper lampshade
acrylic paints
containers for mixing paint colors
paint brushes and paint stirrers
- Lightly pencil in your designs. Begin at the
back seam of the lampshade, so that if the spacing of repeats is
not exact as you work around the shade and reach the starting
point again, it will be less noticeable. A tapa’s hand-drawn
quality is important, so don’t be overly concerned with
perfectly straight lines.
- Blend paint colors if desired. As a paint color
dries on paper, the color can change slightly. Make a small test
blotch in an inconspicuous area like the underside of the shade,
or the bottom edge, just at the seam. Allow it to dry and make
any adjustments in the paint colors if needed.
- Fill in the designs with paint. Try using the
rounded edge of a popsicle stick to create straight, thick
lines. It gives a more hand-drawn look than the paint brush,
which can be used more for filling in the solid areas. Allow to
dry thoroughly.
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