Week 31: Maria Abagnale
“Passione”

Find her on Deviantart, Etsy, Tumblr, Instagram, Facebook, or her website.

Maria Abagnale is an Italian artist specializing in painting, colored pencils, and underwater scenes. An ear tumor rendered her half deaf at a young age and she says the challenges because of this (including vertigo and struggling to understand people) she feels like she often lives underwater.

Her pieces remind me a lot of Camilla D’Errico and Tara McPherson, two artists I have previously featured. Where she deviates, however, is in the realistic life and depth to the eyes of her female features, the long stare and faraway emotion there probably reflecting her own emotion. They are wistful and touching, and feel entirely like the classical paintings they were probably inspired by with a new, bright overhaul.

Following her on social media grants amazing glimpses into her process, where every step from sketch to outline to layers of color are evidence of her awesome skill level and talent.

She also does some digital work, and often pulls in mythological imagery.

Many of her pieces include women clothed only in their hair, so there are slight hints of NSFW elements in them, but nothing is blatant or anything but tasteful.

Looking at her work is more confirmation that pop surrealism is 100% my aesthetic, as is the inclusion of dreamy-eyed women. The further I go through this project, the more I realize I most certainly have a type and a talent for discovering people who create art to fit it.