MARIAPOLIS

Showcasing
Visual Artist
Maria Paknezhad

I loved to draw since I was a child. Happy times were mid-summer days when everybody was having a nap and I was free to write and draw on the walls !  I attended Espahbodi Art Institute in Mashhad for several years and had a comprehensive classical training in fine arts; however, I took it only as a hobby. Since I had several interests to chase, I  put a pause on my passion for painting and pursued a career in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering in Iran, Canada and the UK. Consequently, I was veered away from art by life circumstances.  A couple of years ago, inadvertently, I opened my paint box. I decided to paint for therapeutic reasons. The more I painted, the more I realized that painting was, in fact, my true calling and I should have never stopped. I have been keeping my paint box open ever since. I  furthered my skills and knowledge with multiple art courses and programs at York University, Stratford Institute and a few more.  I am a member of Art Gala Forum and display my paintings twice a year in galleries in the city of Toronto.

My paintings are renditions of my dreams, love, light, calmness and positive excitement.  My thought process, feelings and the state of being in the "now" reflects what I paint. As I'm getting older and wiser, in an attempt to stay away from negative thoughts, I choose to portray hope, positivity and love. That's why I focus on beauty, nature, innocence of animals or color field that subliminally is pleasant to the senses. While I mostly do long studies, my preference is to capture the essence of the subject in a short study of gesture and motion. My favorite word is obsession, because it leads to creativity.