An Interview with Maria Pierides: on the Artistic Process & Celebrating Successes.
Maria Pierides – Artists Feature – VAA Member of the Month February 2024
Trained Art Psychotherapist and now full time artist, Maria Pierides, discusses her successes over the last year, her artistic proccess, and what she’s looking forward to most in future.
Maria Pierides trained as an artist and art psychotherapist and worked in the NHS for a number of years. She is now devoting herself full time to her art at her studio in the foothills of the Brecon Beacons. Living within earshot of a running stream, she explores in paint the texture and temporality of human experience. Building up and scraping back areas of paint to capture the atmosphere, mass, light and poetry of the landscapes she is aiming to represent, Maria’s work seamlessly connects inner and outer worlds.
‘My work really is about the joy and despair of being human. Of working out who we are and where we belong.’
I love to start my day with yoga, it seems to really get me ready for entering the studio. I generally have quite a strong practice so I will enter the studio energised and raring to go. Last year I had a solo show and had decided to do a daily walk up by our local waterfalls. It was an interesting process of doing the same walk everyday, but noticing different things each time. I took my camera with me and took so many photographs. Some days I would notice the light, others the rhythm of the river, others the smell of pine and others the crunch of gravel beneath my feet. Then I will have a very healthy breakfast, I am very strict about eating well. Once I am in my studio I will generally listen to music while painting but this might be interspersed with listening to a podcast (art2life, art juice etc) or reading about art or novels/poetry to spark inspiration in a different way.
I am also generally at good at getting started, even if I am trying not to ruin a painting, I can paint edges, put down the initial layers on a new canvas, paint on paper that can then be used for collage.
I have a chair next to my door out onto my deck and into the garden. I love sitting in there, looking out, looking at my paintings while I wait for my next move to become apparent. I used to love painting late into the night but since having cats who are extremely early risers, I cant seem to stay awake past 10pm!
As for advice: the more applications you make, the more rejections you will have. This keeps me applying for opens! Also to just keep painting, it can just be a little bit everyday. You can only improve by more practice.
What does a day in your life look like? What piece of advice has helped you most in your career?
I always find a blank piece of paper or canvas exciting. It gives me the opportunity to explore materials, new techniques and marks. I generally don’t worry about what goes down initially as I know that it can be covered (in fact, if I like something very early on it makes it trickier to finish) My latest series was based on my response to a haiku poem by my mum and writer, Stella Pierides. I have numerous paintings where I have written the poem into the painting and I love the process of it being covered up, re-emerging into the painting. Music and my yoga practice helps me involve my whole body in the laying of the paint. I often start by working on the floor, it is very freeing to lay down paint in this way.
I will then put paintings on the easel or wall to stand back from and look at. I will often rotate them to work them, leave the room for a cup of tea and come back with a fresh eye, look at them through a mirror, take photos of them to see them on a small screen. All this helps to get to the finished painting. Sometimes I know they are finished, sometimes I think they are finished but after living with them for a while I realise they need something else. If I have time before showing them, I will bring them into the lounge so that I can live with them for a while.
My work really is about the joy and despair of being human. Of working out who we are and where we belong.
‘I love the challenge of having many shows to work to, it feels very dynamic and pushes me to work hard.’
For me it [artistic success] is about being able to get in the studio every day rather than waiting for inspiration. To enjoy the process and to keep going despite any knock backs.
I love all the online workshops run by the VAA mentors, artist members etc. I have filled notebook after notebook with advice, tips, insights that I go back to from time to time to remind me what I need to be doing. I had some mentoring with Karen Van Hoey Smith which really helped me feel that I was on the right path, it was really great to get this feedback as well as some creative and novel ideas about pop up exhibitions for example. And of course being one of the winners of the International Exhibition & Scholarship Prize has really boosted my confidence. It is easy to doubt yourself as an artist, it is easy to just shut ourselves away in the studio, and to have someone tell you that things aren’t as bad as they sometimes seem really helps. I haven’t yet been to any of the networking events, but I think they are a great idea and need to go to one.
What is your definition of artistic success? How has the VAA helped you so far?
What accomplishments are you most proud of and why? What career goal is your current priority?
Looking back at older paintings I can see the development in my painting. Whilst also embarrassing (looking at older work) it feels good to see this process evolve naturally.
The fact that I get chosen for shows, I have had curators approach me that have seen my work in exhibitions, and take me on. This makes me feel that people respond to/ enjoy my work, see potential in me that again gives me the confidence to continue. But I am also proud that I do continue, if rejected, I pick myself up and carry on because I know it is what I love doing.
What have you accomplished over the last 12 months?
This has been a really exciting year for me. For a painting that I am really happy with to win the VAA International Exhibition and Scholarship award is very rewarding.
The momentum programme has helped me hugely with what direction I should be going in and to be included in the exhibition stand at The Other Art Fair in London is exactly what I wanted. For many years I had paintings long listed for the Royal West of England Academy but this year I made the final selection so my painting will be in the show. Two of my paintings were accepted for The Discerning Eye (Another dream)and I have also been taken on by Little Van Gogh and will be showing with Flux in December so it has been a very full year. I love the challenge of having many shows to work to, it feels very dynamic and pushes me to work hard.
