Maria Napier

Maria Napier is a contemporary landscape painter living in the rural Karaka area of Franklin. She has had a keen interest in painting from a young age and under the mentorship of an established New Zealand artist she is now practicing as a full time artist.

Maria's style of painting communicates her own idealised interpretation of reality, removed of human interference. Her work has also been described as a contemporary version of pre-civilised existence that hints at the vulnerable state of our natural environment.

Maria uses her own photography as a reference point for her paintings. This allows her to carefully consider composition and utilise the play of shadow, light and reflection that enhance each scene. Working primarily in acrylic on canvas, up to 100 hours can be spent on each piece.