Kauhale: Foundations of Tradition 2024
Kapa Mounted on Monkeypod Boxes
This series of nine kapa pieces, mounted on monkeypod wood boxes, explores the concept of home. The simple symbols molded from paper mulberry grown on my Kumu, Roen Hufford’s farm, reflect the ancestral wisdom that shapes us. Being part of the year-long process of caring for the grove, harvesting, and beating kapa honors the connections between nature, community, and the concept of home. The DNA of this mulberry tells a story of heritage that has traveled the world and been embraced by many oceanic cultures. Through Roen’s teaching, the kapa hui has also become home for us all, as we learned and grew together bringing our various cultures and traditions. The monkeypod, also known as rain tree, complements this tradition; sourced locally from Kamuela Hardwoods, monkeypod is native to Central and South America, reflecting the diverse influences that shape the cultural landscape of Kamuela.
Each box serves as a vessel—some open to light, while others are solid and closed—exploring stories of land, water, and the interconnectedness of communities that create home. Kapa making, through the slow, intentional process of creating together in community, evokes the simple elements that shape our lives and have defined my return home. This series invites viewers to explore their own relationships with heritage, home, and the natural world.
Recognition Award - Purchased 2024
Fine Art
My practice explores relationships between land, material, and cultural continuity through a fusion of Indigenous cultural practices and contemporary mixed-media approaches. Grounded in kilo—deep observation and attentiveness—I approach making as a reciprocal process, allowing place, time, and material behavior to guide form and meaning.
Fine art commissions are a collaboration—an opportunity to transform your ideas, memories, or stories into a personal, original work of art. Whether inspired by a meaningful experience, a place you love, or a feeling you want to capture, I work with you to explore possibilities and choose the medium that best brings your vision to life.
Through painting, collage, or mixed media, I create bespoke pieces for homes, workspaces, or gifts—art that resonates on a deeper level and becomes part of your story.
Commissions
Reproduction services
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A giclée print is a premium-quality reproduction of an original piece of art. Please contact us to inquire about the sizes available and the pricing options.
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A canvas print is a premium-quality reproduction of an original piece of art stretched on a canvas. Please contact us to inquire about the sizes available and the pricing options.
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We create custom sets of high quality notecards with your choice of artwork, or bespoke. Please reach out to inquire about your needs.
Susi Watson is a Hawaiʻi-and England based mixed-media artist whose work bridges cultural material traditions and contemporary fine art.
Raised in Kāneʻohe, Hawaiʻi, she grew up immersed in vivid color, deep cultural traditions, and the aloha spirit, which continue to inform her creative approach.
Her work is shaped by close observation of the natural environment and an ongoing engagement with nature-based processes. Through mixed media, painting, and works on paper, she explores themes of relationship, continuity, and connection to place.
Susi’s work has been exhibited in Hawaiʻi, California, and England, and is included in the Hawaiʻi State Foundation on Culture and the Arts permanent collection, as well as private collections in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, France, and Spain.