Sky Lines
The monotype prints in this show focus on a variety of familiar, natural elements that are used, appreciated, or interpreted in different ways depending on the viewer. These elements include weather patterns, cloud formations, wind, and water, which, when part of a landscape, have taught me about the intimate relationships people have with their environments. I am most interested in finding similarities with others and how those similarities bring people together. My prints are inspired by these shared landscapes and the powerful impressions they leave upon us. In a developing world, sharing these spaces also emphasizes the responsibilities we have to care for these natural resources and to one another.
I create landscapes that observe a world in motion. My prints focus on natural rhythms and patterns including currents, wind, clouds, and wave swells. This artwork is contemporary while recognizing traditions of printmakers and patternmakers from Hawaii and across the Pacific who came before me. The compositions of my designs are inspired by the movement, lines, and use of space I see in traditional Hawaiian artforms. While my imagery doesn’t portray people, it strives to create spaces that are full of life by referencing the interconnectedness between us and the environment. This might include fishing, canoes, voyaging, and recognizing native species. I see myself as intricately connected to these landscapes, and my subjects as cross-cultural. As a Native Hawaiian artist, the history, culture, and places I am a part of are also highly influential to my work and mixed into the layers of these prints.
Miki’ala Souza
March 2024
The monotype prints in this show focus on a variety of familiar, natural elements that are used, appreciated, or interpreted in different ways depending on the viewer. These elements include weather patterns, cloud formations, wind, and water, which, when part of a landscape, have taught me about the intimate relationships people have with their environments. I am most interested in finding similarities with others and how those similarities bring people together. My prints are inspired by these shared landscapes and the powerful impressions they leave upon us. In a developing world, sharing these spaces also emphasizes the responsibilities we have to care for these natural resources and to one another.
I create landscapes that observe a world in motion. My prints focus on natural rhythms and patterns including currents, wind, clouds, and wave swells. This artwork is contemporary while recognizing traditions of printmakers and patternmakers from Hawaii and across the Pacific who came before me. The compositions of my designs are inspired by the movement, lines, and use of space I see in traditional Hawaiian artforms. While my imagery doesn’t portray people, it strives to create spaces that are full of life by referencing the interconnectedness between us and the environment. This might include fishing, canoes, voyaging, and recognizing native species. I see myself as intricately connected to these landscapes, and my subjects as cross-cultural. As a Native Hawaiian artist, the history, culture, and places I am a part of are also highly influential to my work and mixed into the layers of these prints.
Miki’ala Souza
March 2024
