Whaleheads
"Bennu"
Acrylic on poplar, walnut, and cherry wood
17” x 9 1/2” x 2 1/2”
2024
A whale head imbued with Hawaiian ecology, inspired by stories of rebirth and life cycles following the Lāhainā fire.
Named after the mythical Egyptian phoenix Bennu, the pate of this armature is bedazzled with triggerfish and butterflyfish.
The interior view exhibits the larval growth cycle of morays, from the nacreous juveniles of crystalline structure to the mature snowflake eels of serpentine brawn.
Humpback whales seldom feed on reef fish while calving and breeding in Hawaiian waters, one can think of this multi species portrayal as harmony rather than predation.
COCHRAN COLLECTION