Gallery With A Cause • Located in the New Mexico Cancer Center • Benefitting the NMCC Foundation
Please call gallery director Regina Held to arrange a private gallery tour, make a purchase, or ask any questions.
Biography
Maria E. Quintero was born into a hardworking, farming family in Colombia, South America. Though the family struggled to make ends meet, her inner life was illuminated by a love of school, music and philosophy. After high school, she received a scholarship to attend Medellin Academy of Fine Arts. She also worked as a drafter for an engineering company.
In her thirties, Maria moved to The United States. She became a citizen, attended English and job training classes at The University of New Mexico and Central New Mexico Community College and raised a daughter on her own. She retired as a level three Medical Coder from UNM hospital and now devotes much of her time to perfecting and promoting her art.
Maria has shown her work at The Contemporary Spanish Market in Santa Fe, and in the Fine Arts and Hispanic Arts areas of the New Mexico State Fair. She’s shown her work for the Rio Grande Art Association, New Mexico Watercolor Association, and her work has been displayed in the UNM and CNM Art departments.
Artist Statement
I am a happy person with a bright vision of what life can be. I celebrate the goodness and beauty of this miraculous world. I want my paintings to awaken people to beauty, joy, love and purpose. My semi-realistic and often symbolic paintings are created in acrylic, pastel and watercolor. I like working with pastels for their colorful hues and combinations. I like working with watercolor for the way colors flow and mix in surprising ways. I enjoy working with acrylic for its buttery brushwork and layering capability.
I love to paint emotional, natural and symbolic landscapes and animals that are expressions of different human experiences and emotions. Swans, with their grace and resilience, symbolize transformation and hope—qualities I strive to embody and share through my work. I have used swans to represent many different concepts such as two lovers flirting under a pink sky, two companions finding rest at dusk in the middle a long journey together, or an individual who battered and dazed, but happy to have survived a very difficult event. I give special attention to the elements of water and sky as well as celestial objects such as the sun and moon.
I strive for originality and excellence in every piece I create, always seeking new ways to express my inner world. By sharing my vision, I hope to make a positive difference - however small - in the lives of others, reminding them that beauty and hope are always within reach.