Maria Castellano-Usery, Artist
I was born and raised on Long Island, New York, and I earned a BA in Fine Arts from Hofstra University in 1994. In January 1995, I moved to Maine. I sold my first painting in 1996, and since then, I’ve been showing my work in both group and solo settings.
In July 2007, I made a conscious decision to paint every single day for at least 30 minutes. If traveling doesn’t allow me to be in front of my easel, I bring along my sketchbook. The devotion to this practice has served me incredibly well, and the stability of this daily discipline has led to many hours of play, discovery, and finding my voice.
My influences are a love of nature, a love of music, and the divine energy that flows through all things. I am interested in capturing the essence and the vibration of my subject matter, and I approach my work with the intention of being a conduit for joy and light.
PS: In case you were wondering, my name is pronounced muh-REE-uh kas-tuh-LAH-no UR-sur-ree 😃.
