Backstage / About me

 

Hi I am Maria! I am studying Painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Leipzig. From the age of 10, painting and drawing opened up to me as a way of expressing myself and what mattered to me, and has accompanied me ever since. I became serious about art in 2018 when I decided to apply for the Art School Ortweinschule in Graz. I passed the entry exam and spent the following two years studying in the painting class of Mag. Klaus Schuster, focusing especially on portraiture. As a support to my practical studies at the Art School I matriculated also to the University of Graz in German Philology, attending courses in German Literature, Latin and Philosophy. Parallel to these classes I studied from 2019 to 2021 with Rohini Ralby, attending live-online classes to learn about spiritual practice and a deeper approach to art.

 

After graduating at the Ortweinschule, I spent the time of intense covid-restrictions between 2020 and 2021 studying via online meetings with various artists around the world. In Peter Bonner’s course, I learned to draw directly from nature, developing there the habit of going for extended drawing walks. From Edvard Sutcliffe I learned a new, more photorealistic technique and approach to portraiture. With Erin Raedeke, I expanded my understanding of colours.

 

I still wanted more instruction and opportunity for painting, and seeking to fully immerse myself into an artistic surrounding, I applied for the Academy in Leipzig. It looked promisingly figurative in its artistic orientation, the training broad and intense. I was accepted and moved to Leipzig in 2021, where I still study now. 

 

Before, I lived in St. Johann bei Herberstein, a little village in the Austrian countryside. There my family’s home is surrounded by a beautiful garden, which I very much enjoyed to tend. A stunning nature conservation area starts right behind our house. The connectedness to nature, feedback from my teachers, and discussions with close friends and family members help and helped me to discover and nurture my interest for nature and people, which are at the core of my artistic work.