In the calm of Hawai‘i, where the ocean speaks and the wind listens, Samara Couri turns reflection into art. Her mirror paintings are not just about what we see, but how we feel when we truly look.
Originally from London, artist Samara Couri now lives on O‘ahu, Hawai‘i, where she draws inspiration from the islands’ people, histories, and landscapes. Here, art becomes something alive: breathing, evolving, and deeply tied to both nature and the Indigenous people who sustain it. Through her mirror paintings, Samara connects people and place, revealing how inseparable we are from the world around us. Her art is less about seeing a reflection than discovering meaning within it.
Her art is not about seeing a reflection, it’s about finding meaning in it.
Each painting holds a quiet emotional charge. Standing before her mirrors or canvases, viewers see themselves bathed in the same light and rhythm that inspire her. That shared moment between artist, viewer, and nature gives her work its lasting resonance.
Her latest project, Akua, explores Hawaiian gods and deities embodiments of elements like earth, water, and sky. The Akua remind us that everything in nature lives and deserves respect. To bring these ideas to life, Samara collaborates with cultural practitioners such as Kumu A‘ia‘i Bello, a respected cultural teacher, and supports Ka Lāhui Hawai‘i, a community organization advocating for Hawaiian self-governance. Together, they share the deeper stories of Hawai‘i and its ongoing struggle for sovereignty and the traditions that sustain its spirit.
Samara approaches her art with patience and intention. Immersed in nature, she also engages deeply with community, volunteering to care for the land and studying cultural practices like hula, an essential expression of the islands’ history and identity. Some days, she simply sits by the shore, watching how the water shifts with the wind. For her, art begins long before the brush meets the canvas, it begins in observation, silence, and gratitude.
Her practice is inseparable from the outdoors. Light, waves, and sea air may not be the literal subject matter of her paintings but these forces figuratively reverberate throughout each painting. Each layer of glass and pigment becomes a quiet conversation between the natural world and the human heart. When light touches her finished mirrors, they shimmer like water, seeming to breathe with life.
“There will always be so much to learn about the Hawaiian islands and its importance to the world, its philosophies and way of life,” Samara says, describing how Hawai‘i has given her both a new experience and a new voice.
For Samara, the mirror is more than a medium, it’s a bridge between people and the planet. It reflects not just faces but emotions. Her paintings invite viewers to slow down, to recognize that what we gaze upon also gazes back.
Every project carries a message of connection. Whether exploring mythology, emotion, or the rhythms of nature, Samara reminds us that we are not separate from the earth but part of it. Her art suggests that empathy begins with awareness.
“We are all connected and are a part of this world one way or the other, we all have a responsibility to take care of the land and each other. I hope compassion can be projected when immersed in the art work and themselves.”
Her journey from London to Hawai‘i is more than a change of place, it’s a transformation in how she sees life. Through her art, we’re reminded that creation and nature are both alive both requiring love, respect, and time.
Ultimately, Samara’s work invites us to pause and reflect, to consider our bonds with one another and with nature, and to chart new paths toward understanding.
In every reflection, there is a story waiting to be seen.
To learn more about Samara Couri’s art and her Akua series, visit www.samaracouri.com
