As a young child Maria loved to draw and paint and began painting seriously at age 14. Her early work was mainly figurative and executed in oils.
Maria went on to study fashion and costume design at the Accademia di Costume e di Moda in Rome, and moved to New York in 1991, where she worked as a clothing and footwear designer. After several years as a
designer Maria transitioned to freelance illustration. That was 10 years
ago. Maria’s work has since been featured in numerous publications in the
USA and Europe. In 2005 her illustrations were featured in the book "200 Best Illustrators Worldwide", by Lurzer's Archive.
In 2002, while still managing to produce extraordinary illustrations,
Maria recommitted herself to creating fine art. Her current works reflect her experience, versatility and eccentricity as a former designer, combining eclectic materials and textures to create strongly graphic and resonant impressions.
She has taken part to group exhibits in New York, Milan, Paris and Sidney. Some of her work is on permanent exhibit in the Australian Academy of Design, Melbourne, Australia.
More recently Maria has been invited to take part to the Florence Biennale, Dec. 5-13, 2009, in Florence, Italy, where she will show a group of paintings inspired by the beautiful landscapes of the Netherlands, where she moved to 3 years ago. The new paintings combine various materials to create a glossy/opaque contrast and a liquid- like effect.
