BA (Hons) Art & Design – University Of Central England (UCE)
PGCE Post Grad in Education - Wolverhampton University

Maria was born in Birmingham, UK and raised in an African/Italian family environment (African father, Italian mother). She began her art studies in 1970 at the Bournville School of Art. She then went on to study Fashion/costume and Textiles, but later resumed her studies of fine arts.

Throughout her career as an artist, Maria has exhibited her work, worked in collaboration with other artists and co-ordinated arts community based projects. She has taught a range of art subjects within schools, colleges and Universities. Since graduating with Honours from The University of Central England she has developed her working practices within a broader context, such as paintings, textiles and 3D.

Maria draws her inspiration from many different sources: travel, literature, and more personal issues. Her new body of work is inspired by her own cultural heritage, including her travels through Africa and the diverse African culture and more recently a month long residency that took place at the Rahimtulla Museum of Modern Art Nairobi, Kenya. Her use of colours are vibrant and exciting her paintings aesthetically pleasing with interesting narratives.

Her experiences of Africa are not just as a traveller but also as a resident, living with the people and their culture as an African. Her own colourful diverse family heritage inspires her work and working practices.