Published 8:00 am Saturday, September 19, 2026
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Randy McClelland, a Naselle ceramic artist and Astoria painter-printmaker Miki’ala Souza were chosen as featured artists in separate episodes of a Seattle television and streaming series called Art by Northwest.
(Courtesy/Randy McClelland)
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Randy McClelland and host Brangien Davis filming in Naselle for an episode of Art by Northwest which featured the ceramic artist.
(Courtesy/Art by Northwest)
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Photo of finished ceramic work, “Lady Duckweed,” woodfired stoneware by Naselle ceramic artist Randy McClelland. Work made during the filming process will be on display at the RiverSea Gallery this December.
(Courtesy/Randy McClelland)
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Crew members of Art by Northwest shooting on location at Fort Stevens State park as artist Miki’ala Souza and host Brangien Davis stand on the dunes.
(Brianna Dorn)
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Miki’ala Souza’s untitled monotype with relief collage is a piece she was working on when the crew shot the episode.
(Courtesy/Miki’ala Souza)
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Two local artists are taking their art to a new media — printmaker Miki’ala Souza and ceramic artist Randy McClelland are featured in the Seattle-based TV series, “Art by Northwest.” The series is also available through various streaming platforms at cascadepbs.org.
Printmaker Miki’ala Souza
Artist-educator Souza wants to inspire others. “I really hope younger folks who might see these shows know that they can be artists. I think it’s important for younger folks in our area to see us doing things like this so they can know it’s possible for them too,” she said.
Souza — who is a Native Hawaiian artist based in Astoria — has worked as an art teacher at the Knappa School District for a decade. She was also an adjunct printmaking instructor at Clatsop Community College and taught at various nonprofits in Hawaii where she was born and raised.
Souza is a professional printmaker and painter, showing her printmaking nationally and internationally, creating “landscapes that observe a world in motion,” according to her website, mikialasouza.com. She creates prints that focus on the winds, clouds and natural rhythms with a focus on the interconnectedness between people and the environment.
She was invited to appear in an episode of “Art by Northwest,” a series that spotlights Pacific Northwest artists and creators within their environments. The episode debuted on Thursday, Sept. 17.
Souza was discovered by the “Art by Northwest” crew at a group exhibition at the Wing Luke Museum in Seattle. The museum features both Hawaiian and Indigenous artists with a connection to the Pacific Northwest. That show, still running, will be on display until early 2027.
The four-person television crew traveled from Seattle to Astoria in February to shoot the episode, which was accomplished in two days. “They were wonderful to work with,” Souza said. “I have only great things to say about the experience.”
Souza said being on camera was a new experience and crew members were “kind and patient.” The process included one day of shooting in Souza’s studio as she shared her artistic process, materials and how she makes her art. The second day was filmed out in the community and in the natural environment.
The focus of the series is on Pacific Northwest artists beyond major cities like Seattle and Portland whose creative work is connected to place. “Getting out into nature and talking about how that informs my artwork was a really important part of the show,” said Souza. She said she hoped it “allowed them to build some connections to what I do and the impact this place has on me and my life.”
One day was reserved for shooting at Fort Stevens State Park and the weather was very chilly. “The crew had smiles on their faces and just made the experience thoughtful and special and I had a really fun time,” said Souza.
A second artist from the Columbia-Pacific Region will be featured in Season 3 — Naselle ceramic artist Randy McClelland’s Oct. 8 episode is yet to be released.
“I was excited when they told me Randy was also going to be featured in an episode this season … I thought it was very special to have two artists representing our local art community,” said Souza. “I immediately felt so proud of our community.”
Ceramic artist Randy McClelland
McClelland echoed that sentiment. He said he is “especially proud to be featured alongside Miki’ala Souza. We are both Asian American and Pacific Islander artists from the Lower Columbia Pacific Region, although our individual backgrounds, practices and stories are distinctly our own.”
McClelland said it was his first time being the subject of a television feature about his life and artwork. “What surprised me most was the amount of work required to produce what will become a relatively short segment,” he said. “The crew gathered hours of footage and spent considerable time documenting the firing, studio, kiln, landscape and details of my process.”
He was first introduced to ceramics while attending American School in Japan between 1986 and 1989. Over the years, McClelland’s process of wood firing has become central to his overall process and artistic identity — and thus the filming of the “Art by Northwest” episode.
“My work is rooted in wood firing and often explores Japanese American identity, mythology, utility and the relationship between clay, fire and place. I frequently incorporate locally-gathered materials, including clay from the Naselle River and the northern Oregon Coast.”
In 2024, he completed construction of Neiseru Gama, his wood kiln in Naselle, which he said “allows me to create surfaces through flame, ash, local materials and extended firings.” The name Neiseru Gama comes from a “Japanese phonetic rendering of Naselle,” said McClelland, “and gama means kiln, so the name translates roughly to Naselle Kiln.”
The same year Neiseru Gama was created, McClelland left his career in health care to work as a full-time artist.
McClelland noted that artists in smaller coastal rural communities don’t always receive visibility from a regional television program. He said the unexpected invitation to be featured on the show was “incredibly affirming and felt significant.”
The filming process was not easy, however. For one thing, wood firing continues around the clock and requires constant attention. “While participating in the filming, I was also managing the kiln and working overnight stoking shifts,” said McClelland. There were moments when I was tired and moving between the demands of the firing and the production.” Even though it was a difficult shoot, “in some ways, that made the experience more honest,” he said. “The crew was able to document the work as it actually happened. The ‘Art by Northwest’ team was professional, thoughtful and genuinely fun to work with. … They showed a real interest in understanding not only what I make, but why and how I make it.”
Host Brangien Davis
Davis is the arts and culture editor-at-large and host of “Art by Northwest.” She is also a writer and developed the original idea of the show with her editorial team at Cascade PBS.
“Miki and Randy were chosen for the uniquely beautiful qualities of their artwork,” said Davis. “I was enchanted by the expressive faces in Randy’s yokai vessels, and intrigued by the layered meanings in Miki’s windswept prints.”
The show first aired in 2023 with Season 1. Souza and McClelland are featured on Season 3. And, while the show is based in Seattle, the focus, up to now, has been outside the city across Washington state. “Miki marks our first out-of-state artist,” said Davis, “just over the border but still an exciting foray.”
Davis was already familiar with Astoria. She said it was “a treat to be able to dig in for several days of shooting” in a town that she describes as “romantic, historic and tough.”
The process of shooting the episode was made possible by producer Brianna Dorn as well as Skyler Ballard, director of photography and Bryce Yukio Adolphson, second camera.
Artists’ connection to place is a key theme of the show. “I’m specifically seeking out artists whose work reflects where they live and/or where they came from,” said Davis. “Another reason these two were chosen has to do with their artistic process. I love learning about the many-step processes artists develop and hone to achieve their vision. … That is endlessly fascinating to me and I want to share this meticulousness with viewers.”
How to watch
Two artists from the Columbia-Pacific Region will be featured in separate episodes of Season 3 of Cascade PBS’s “Art by Northwest.”
Souza’s episode released on Sept. 17 and McClelland’s will release on Oct. 8.
Stream the episodes at: cascadepbs.org.
About Heather Douglas
Heather Douglas is the editor of Coast Weekend and associate editor at The Astorian.
