Meet Maliahguiya Sourgose | Illustrator and Printmaker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Maliahguiya Sourgose and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Maliahguiya, is there something you can share with us that those outside of the industry might not be aware of?
Viewing the printmaking industry as an outsider, there is often an overlook of the process and labor that entail within the work. When vending at markets, I have had conversations with people discussing the multiple steps taken to complete the final product. To most people, my work is an illustration that was automatically printed out. However most, if not all, of my work was screen printed by me personally. Every layer, color, and alignment is done by hand which a lot of outsiders are not aware of.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My work tells stories through indirect portraiture of everyday life, experiences, and interactions that I have personally harbored. With illustration and printmaking working hand-in-hand, I create fluidity within composition and color.
I am very excited to be graduating this Spring 2025 semester from California State University of Northridge with my BA in Illustration and Printmaking. Looking forward, I would love to own a public and personal screen printing studio where I will teach workshops, create public art, and connect with my community.
With lots of hard work, late studio nights, and support from friends and family, I have come a long way to get to where I am now. As I have been attending school the past 5 years, I continued to work my weekend job to earn a stable income – helping me with gas, food, and art supplies. The sacrifice of personal rest time was a challenge that I am still trying to overcome. I find it difficult to put my work down; always wanting to do more and create something new. If there’s anything I have learned from shaping into the artist that I am, I understand that nothing is perfect (and that’s okay!). If everything in life were perfect, would there be any individuality? No. Accepting this helped my work flourish; I was no longer worried about imperfect lines and minor misprinted alignments. I allowed myself to be free of an expectation that I hung over my head.
I want the world to know that I really, genuinely care about the work that I produce. There is a lot of time and effort that I prioritize for the sole purpose of making art that people enjoy to look at.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
For a day in L.A., I would take my best friend to coffee at Philz in Studio City, maybe pick up some picnic items from The Joint Seafood and possibly a sweet treat from Susiecakes. From there, I would take them to Griffith park to enjoy lunch under the trees. After that we’d go for a walk at Chinatown and end the night grabbing dinner at Eataly. That’s all to say, it would be ideal if there were no traffic!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would love to shoutout my family and my community who have been nothing but supportive throughout my artistic journey up until now and into my future! Thank you Mom, Dad, Mahal, Hurao, Ha’ani, and Joel for your endless encouragement and love.

Website: https://www.maliahguiya.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maliahguiya/?hl=en