Art of Palau

The storyboard is a new form of Palauan art. Storyboards are portable adaptations of a traditional story. Since the 1930's many master carvers have produce storyboards wtih unique styles nad compositions. The process of storyboard carvings has many steps. The first step is to find an appropriate peice of wood. The wood is cut into large and small peices. They may cut pieces into smaller planks with a table saw . The carvers sand the rough wood surface by hand or with an electric sander until it is smooth. Once the board and tools are ready, the artist starts with his composition of the story. It may take several days before an artist visualizes his composition. An artist's creativity brings a story to life. Once the artist sketches his composition on the wood, he is ready to carve. Once he completes the carvings, he sands the whole board with fine sandpaper until it is smooth. In this picture is a finished storyboard which tells the Palauan legend of the Breadfruit Tree. This is the largest Storyboard in Palau which is located in the Lobby of Airai Water Paradise Hotel & Spa!