About Maria Payer
Graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Montclair State College in 1964, Maria Payer expected to pursue a lifelong career in the field of art education, but circumstance guised as opportunity intervened. International travel, marriage, an interior design career and multiple re-locations ensued over the years. Those many transfers and “new” surroundings served to stimulate her eclectic temperament and inspire her inventive thinking. While Ms. Payer’s roots are anchored in the learning process, it is the creative process that continues to exercise the greatest influence in her life.
A Signature Member of the New Jersey Watercolor Society, the Philadelphia Water Color Society, the Salem County Art League and the Society of New Jersey Artists , Maria Payer resumed exhibiting her watercolor paintings in 2013. In October of 2019 she will join fellow painter, Judy Scull, in mounting an exhibit of recent works inspired by the relationships suggested by the theme “Pairings”. Please see the Current Exhibits and Awards page for more information.
New Brunswick Art Salon 2019 – Watercolor & Mixed Media: “Ephemeral Visions”
Maria’s paintings convey a rustic charm in her depictions of quiet fields, barns, and people at labor. She creates these romantic painting using elements such a layered textures and impactful colors. Maria does not focus on a specific subject for her paintings but rather, her works serve as a record of somewhere that struck inspiration or preserve an insignificant yet poignant memory.
Artist Personal Website: angelabarbalace.artspan.com
Artist Statement
These are the elements that fascinate me. My brush is consistently drawn to the play of layered textures and the impact of glorious color. My attraction to a particular subject is not limited.I am equally satisfied to experience the process through figurative studies, still life or landscape imagery. Watercolor excites me with its possibilities and prompts me to interpret a composition in a loose but representational style.What is constant is that I find joy in the creative experience.My paintings serve as a visual record. Some were inspired by location, others memorialize small but sensitive moments in a day. And,a few reflect personal encounters with special people or connect with remembered experiences.