The artworks that I create are images that often come to me as I am contemplating themes in my life experience. Nature is a recurring theme in my work because it has taught me so much; contemplating everything from birds, trees, mushrooms, to rocks and streams seems to unlock the whole universe to me and within my own soul. As I recreate what I see, I often add different colors or textures that weren't present in the reference, but convey the essence of the wisdom imparted to me. 

All of my work is handmade or painted, I often use recycled or natural materials: my sheet music series is all works on actual sheet music, my materials for my soft products are upcycled clothing, and even a few of my canvases were rescues that I treated and repurposed. I enjoy working with pre-owned materials for many reasons: they are unique, it reduces my waste and uses up some-one elses, and I love seeing what things others have valued in the past. When I incorporate natural elements like the acorn caps in my felted ornaments, I always feel that the essence of the material is in the item, and creating my own version acts as a meditation on that natural subject.

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I hope that you can find the same joy and wonder in my works that I had while creating them.

Maria 

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