Bingata and the Okinawa Rail

The Yanbaru Kuina, or the Okinawa Rail (Gallirallus okinawae),  is a beautiful bird endemic to Okinawa Island.  It is an unusual bird in that it is almost flightless.

Since the Yanbaru Kuina is an endangered species, i have worked to incorporate it into my bingata artwork as a reminder for us to cherish our natural environment…

Let’s take a peek at Yanbaru Kuina in its natural environment:  Yanbaru Kuina Video.  Isn’t Yanbaru Kuina lovely?

I recently incorporated my own interpretation of Yanbaru Kuina in a Bingata style textile.  How about if i provide a brief introduction to my Bingata dye work process with you?

First, i cut a reverse design stencil, then lay the stencil atop my handwoven cotton bag and applied a Nori resist paste…

Note that I added color to the ordinarily white Nori resist paste so that i’m able to view the outline of my artwork atop the white cotton fabric.

Next, i painted my artwork with Bingata natural dyes…

After the Bingata natural dyes dried, i removed the Nori resist paste with running water.  Thereafter, the entire Bingata image was revealed…

How do you like my Yanbaru Kuina Bingata bag?