Maria Sanchez

"Before I walked, spoke or even tasted life, I saw color. I continue to view the world with of it's tragedies, wars, peace and celebrations in color and recognize that the world we live in, is not just black and white."

For the last 15 years my paintings have been hidden, only on display to family and friends. I have learned that to grow as an artist I have to share them and give them wings. I am mostly a self-taught artist, although I am now persuing a formal education in Fine Art at the Academy of Art in San Francisco.

I was born in San Salvador, El Salvador and raised in Redwood City, CA. I married into the Mexican and Puerto Rican culture and have come to learn, love and enjoy all of the different music, food and celebrations that are now a part of my life. The language, art and history, are all things that play a major role in my work.

I have found that I paint in "Spanish". It was my first language in the spoken world and continues to be the language of my soul when I sit down to paint.

My paintings are images taken from my life's present and past memories. They are simple and sometimes familiar expressions of color and form, yet they all tell a story. Some are silly, some are spiritual others are natural and they all have healing color. I am especially drawn to the vivid colors in nature, the deep blue of the sky, green grass, orange pumpkins, the red flesh of watermelon. These colors are all
reflected in my work. 

In 2004 I founded ArtbyLatinaArtists.com(ABLA) an online directory and virtual gallery of Latina Aritists that celebrates the talent, spirit, spoken word & designs of our Latina women.

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SFWeekly....."Maria Sanchez, whose lush images convey the sensual interplay of food, music, language, and ritual. Sanchez's acrylic paintings are heavily textured, vibrant, and crudely rendered, capturing the whimsical nature of her folk art influences."