From the Artist

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When you look into the life of an artist and try to describe it to another, it is like inviting a stranger to come and walk on the same path for a while. Then and only then can the journey be shared. The rhythms of Hawaii shimmer in the work of artist/designer Sarai Stricklin. Poetic visions in silk that capture the essence of her island home.

Raised in a plantation village on the Island of Maui. Sarai grew up happily drawing on the ground with a twig until she discovered colored paints and brushes in kindergarten.

Artist Sarai learned the traditional style of batik and traditional KAPA making in the 8th grade at the Hawai’i School for girls - La Pietra. Since that time she has combined the two forms to create a modern expression of story lines in motif. As a teacher of traditional batik, Sarai has come to realize that “batik is for the village”. The community work together to produce batiks. The motif and designs painted with hot wax expresses things of Hawaii.

After designing clothing with her fabrics for various companies on Maui for 20 years, Sarai Stricklin opted for independence and moved home from the Island of Moloka’i. Creating her own company, “designs by Sarai” she finally accepted herself as an artist, entering an art show for the first time in her life.

Having established a reputation for fine hand-painted silks over the years, Sarai’s artistic signature is immediately recognizable; bold line work, sensuous, colorful designs with the influence of Hawaii. The artist uses mostly dupioni and Charmeuse silk for her creations and “paints” with colorfast dyes.

“It’s a rhythm I feel in the “mana”, a wave of the spirit that runs through all things,” Stricklin says. “It’s the life force.”