Autumn Reflections

Shoreline Spirit Walkers

Maria Sena

Maria C. Sena

P.O. Box 1463

Ross, CA 94957

marias42oon@comcast.net

Maria earned her master’s degree in psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute in Santa Barbara researching indigenous therapeutic practices and ancient healing traditions.  Exploring images arising from dreams at a summer session in Greece, she found herself inspired to paint, returning to her formative interest in art while studying in Rome, Italy during her undergraduate year abroad.  She began experimenting with watercolor studies of mythological figures along with nature images and dream symbols.

Healing sanctuaries called Asclepions, dedicated to the god of medicine, were established throughout Greece, characteristically in settings of natural beauty and scenic grandeur.  Impressions of such inspired landscapes and archetypal imagery inform Maria’s work reflecting artistic expression as a talisman to heal and renew the spirit.

Raised in New England by the Connecticut River and picturesque Long Island shoreline, she has lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for the past 40+ years inspired by Asian cultural influences and the awe-inspiring California scenery.  She is a member of the California Art Club, a 100+-year old organization that promotes the art of the region, and the Marin County Watercolor Society, an association of local artists.  She has studied Chinese brush painting with Andrew Siu, an internationally recognized master, and watercolor at the College of Marin.

Maria’s current work tends toward the abstract, deconstructing the images to stimulate the intuitive mind and a contemplative view.  Watercolor lends itself perfectly to this approach as the medium is allowed to move freely creating shapes on its own supporting a more spontaneous creative process.  The beauty of the natural world and California landscape are Maria’s guiding inspiration imparting the power of images to transform and offer respite from the frenetic pace of modern life.

“The soul never thinks without an image” — Aristotle