Hello there! I'm Maya and I'm an artist who finds boundless joy in exploring the realms of creativity. Born and raised in Atlanta, GA, I recently graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with a minor in Studio Art and am now back in Atlanta, furthering my studies at Spruill Center for the Arts. My passion lies in painting, pottery, and jewelry making, where I breathe life into my imagination through vivid colors and tactile forms. Even though I like to bounce around multiple styles, I’m always basing my artistic choices on what feels enjoyable in the moment to see or do as grounding practices. For me, each stroke of the brush or every twist of the potter's wheel is an opportunity to delve into a meditative process, where time slows down, and I am fully immersed in the creation of something truly unique. Beyond the pursuit of aesthetic beauty, I view my art as a form of therapy, finding solace and healing in every stroke and sculpted curve. Through my art, I aspire to share this sense of serenity and encourage others to embrace their creative spirits as a path to personal growth and well-being.This body of work stems from my exploration of layering techniques traditionally used in pottery, where multiple layers of slip are carved through to reveal hidden colors beneath. Translating this idea into acrylic paint, I apply over 30 thick layers of paint onto wooden panels, with each color receiving three individual coats. This results in each square foot of a piece holding roughly a liter of paint. Using woodcarving and printmaking tools, I carve intricate, abstract designs into the layers, unveiling vibrant depths as each color beneath is revealed. This subtractive approach reverses the traditional painting process of building an image by adding layers of paint. Instead, I remove material to allow the artwork to surface, letting the paint tell its own story. Each carving is permanent, and the paint layers sometimes tear in unexpected ways, leading me to embrace spontaneity and adapt to what the medium demands. The interplay between deliberate design and the unpredictability of the process creates a tactile experience, where depth and texture give the piece dimension that blurs the line between painting and sculpture. Despite the beauty of this process, it produces a significant amount of paint waste, which led me to reconsider how to use these discarded layers. Rather than throwing away the paint carvings, I meticulously sort them by color and size. From there, I repurpose them to create mosaics on vases, carefully gluing each piece one by one. While I wish there was no waste, I trim the borders off of each paint fragment so that they have smooth edges and fit seamlessly together. This allows me to arrange them in gradients where colors gently blend into each other, forming a vibrant and cohesive mosaic. By incorporating these fragments, the vases become a continuation of the painting process, offering a new way to explore texture and form while minimizing waste.