Maria Oliveira

Artist Statement

As human beings, we are on a spiritual journey, trying to find our path, to follow our bliss, to figure out our place in the world. And as every journey that well worths going through, it's not an easy process. A mixture of feelings awaits every step of the way, positive and negative, representing the never old fight between the heart, and the mind. 

I use photography (self-portraiture) as a tool to exteriorize what I experience in my own personal life in a cathartic way. My art is nothing but an artistic expression of the basic human emotions when confronted with the choice of falling down the rabbit hole to the unknown or staying in the safe and predictable life carefully designed for us.

My visions are surreal, dark, painterly and filled with vibrant colors as a way to communicate a positive message: In the end, we are the creators of our own reality, so let's follow our heart.

Bio

Maria Oliveira is a self-taught  Fine Art Photographer born and raised in northern Spain, now based in Southern California. For years she enjoyed the field of landscape and travel photography, but really found her passion when she discovered the potential behind photoshop and fine art compositing. Using herself as the main subject in each photograph she gets to construct her otherworldly reality, often dark, but vibrant, set in a nature world that ultimately connects everything together. It is then when she explores the turmoil of conflicting emotions behind the process of taking control of her own life, only to realize that this is just a journey we are all part of.