“Working intuitively, I draw upon material culture and the natural environment to create beautiful marks that refer to specific memories of lived experiences. ”
ABOUT
Maria Amalia holds a bachelor’s degree in General Art with a minor in Visual Communications from Judson University and an MFA in Textile Art and Design from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. For the past seven years, Maria Amalia has been creating paper and textile objects that refer to memories of lived experiences. While constantly honing her ability to intelligently compose, Maria Amalia has developed a process for manipulating the wet pulp that allows her to work freely, creating marks and passages that evolve organically through a repetitive process of building an image with layered, ripped, painted, and collaged forms resulting in complex surfaces that carry rich color and texture passages.
Having more than 15 years of experience working with craft communities in Latin America in product development, her art practice is built on a foundation that includes a commitment to the highest standards of craftsmanship in making, intellectual curiosity, and constant searching for authenticity and relevance.
When Maria Amalia is not making art with the community or in her studio, she teaches K-8 art at Lighthouse Christian School.