Maya
was born in the Jungle in Kauai. She lived there until she was three
when her parents brought her along on their travels throughout Peru
and Canada. She settled in Northern California until she left for Israel
just after graduating high school. She lived on Kibbutz Mishmar Ha Negev
in Israel for a year, where she painted and learned to speak fluent
Hebrew. She then returned to Southern California and began her career
in art as a lead picture framer for Fast Frame. She traveled across
America in her early 20's and lived and studied art in New York, Florida,
San Francisco, Lake Tahoe and Los Angeles before returning to her homeland
of Hawaii when she was 26. In 1999 Maya spent spent 2 months studying
painting in Rome.
Maya
began drawing and painting when she was a very small child. Her avid
interest in art continued until she was in her early teens when she
began to focus more upon writing and drama. She began painting again
at the age of 20 after being convinced by family and friends that it
was a talent she should not ignore. She taught herself to paint in acrylics
and then in oils. Finally she decided to return to school to study art.
During her first Life Drawing class at Palomar College in San Marcos
she was commissioned to paint a portrait. By the next semester she had
many commisions, including work for Paramount Studios and Hannah Barberra.
Maya
attended Palomar College, Saddleback College, The Art Institute of Southern
California, San Francisco Academy of Art and Pacific Institute of Art
and Design. In March of 1999 Maya travelled to Rome, Italy to study
at the studio of renowned Neo-Mannerist Painter, Maestro Bruno D'Arcevia,
who was working on a portrait of the Pope at the time.
Maya
has now been working as a portrait and landscape artist for 16 years,
she has also done illustration, graphic design, architechtural renderings,
professional photography, and murals. Maya has shown her work in over
30 galleries, restaurants, and shops.
Maya
has just created her first book! |
