For 30 years Terry Taube has made Hawaii his home, exploring its natural elements and recreating them to share with others. His innovative paper casting techniques and styles have allowed him to achieve a level of originality that celebrates the renaissance of paper in art.

Papermaking is one of the world's most ancient art forms. Distinct techniques were developed, many independently, in every part of the world, including the Pacific nations. Taube continues this tradition. The originality and vitality of his creations are a reflection of his reverence for nature and culture.

Working with paper, Taube achieves dimension, effects and colors that only exist in nature. He creates texture and design as diverse as lava and butterflies. Illusions of bronze patina and raku flourish with luminous colors, opalescence, fossil-like images and realism.

Taube's sculptural paper continually takes on new and exciting dimensions. His desire to work so directly with the subject captures the magic inherent in nature, while weaving and unfolding his artistic visions. Nature is reflected in his art. A timeless natural ambience is the fiber that binds and integrates each of his pieces.

Taube's works are included in many private and corporate collections throughout the world and have been shown in galleries throughout Hawaii for nearly two decades. Below right, 24 turtles grace the wall of the Hapuna Suite at the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel on the Kohala Coast, Hawaii. Below left, Taube's Wing piece is displayed at the Royal Sea Cliff Resort in Kona, Hawaii.

One of his most interesting and large-scale projects was creating a life-size volcano magma chamber for the Lyman Museum in Hilo on Hawaii's Big Island. Using 100 gallons of liquid latex rubber, he cast a 20- by 30-foot portion of actual lava flow on the slopes of Mauna Loa. After applying the latex rubber and allowing it to dry, he peeled the 600-pound mold from the lava and, with the help of nine volunteers, carried it off the volcano. He then cast four enormous sheets of "paper lava," made from cotton, flax, abacca and hemp - some of the strongest natural fibers grown. After pressing, smoothing and drying the sheets, the "lava," ironically, was coated with fireproofing and colored. Taube's resulting recreation of the lava tube allows Lyman Museum visitors to see and feel the textures, colors and power of the volcano first hand.

All of life is bound by spiritual fiber. Paper's naturally humble approach to forces it encounters ultimately is its strength.

Terry Taube Retrospective