Maggie Malia
Bio
Maggie Malia is a Maryland-based illustrator finding the balance between discipline and play. Combining her creativity and imagination with her technical skill and knowledge, Malia breathes life into her illustrations through expressive characters and energetic compositions. She find joy in the art making process Each work of art Malia views art as a channel for the soul and hopes to share her essence with her audience.
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Artist Statement
Detailed and whimsical, Malia’s black and white illustrations are defined by their cross-hatched style and complex compositions. Creating a bridge between the real and the fantastic, the artist and the viewer, Malia’s works draw the viewer into their scenes through their charming characters, wondrous settings, and enticing imagery.
Through these aspects of her work, Malia creates scenes that not only capture a story, but also a self. Utilizing her characters and imagery to fill archetypal and symbolic roles, each element represents a part of the abstract self meant to be seen and understood by her audience. Charged compositions then bring these elements to life, while also capturing a constantly fluctuating state of self. As a child could move, or a tree could rustle at any minute, so could the self shift. Malia’s work not only explores but takes comfort in this fluctuation. Her works act as a means to extend her ever-changing self to her audience and share in the joy of this turbulence.