MARIA OWENS
Kunstnerbiografi
Maria Owens er en abstrakt, intuitiv billedkunstner, hvis værker trækker tråde til fragmenter af barndoms- og ungdomsminder – først skabt i Spanien og senere i Danmark fra seksårsalderen. Maria er født i Hjørring, men bor og arbejder i dag i New Zealand.
Hendes praksis med at male direkte ud fra minder begyndte med en samling på 20 papirværker fra 2024. Otte originale værker fra denne skelsættende serie – som nu er hos Galleri Tornby – blev skabt med et rigt mix af akrylmaling, farveblyanter og vandopløselige oliepasteller, hvilket inspirerede den intuitive tilgang, hun arbejder efter i dag.
Hendes malerier tager ofte udgangspunkt i et flygtigt øjeblik, en farve eller en følelse, og selvom de er abstrakte, gemmer mange af dem på en stille fortælling under overfladen. Farven spiller en strukturel rolle i hendes arbejde og fungerer som en følelsesmæssig atmosfære og forankring, mens gestiske linjer og lagdelte former sporer bevægelse og erindring på lærredet. Maria arbejder intuitivt, hvor hun opbygger og genopbygger sine kompositioner ved at tilføje, skrabe væk og afdække. Der er en konstant spænding mellem tyngde og lethed, tæthed og åbenhed, mens hvert værk udvikler sig mod at forløse den følelse eller historie, der oprindeligt inspirerede det.
Maria er repræsenteret af Galleri Tornby i Danmark, samt Railway Street Gallery + Studio, plus The Art Precinct i Auckland, ZeaYou Gallery i Taupo og Quiet Dog Gallery i Nelson. Hendes keramiske unika (vessels) kan desuden findes i Te Uru Shop i Titirangi.
Artist Bio
Maria Owens is an abstract intuitive painter whose work draws from fragments of childhood and teenage memories—first formed in Spain and later in Denmark from the age of six. Born in Hjørring, Maria currently lives and creates her work in New Zealand.
Her practice of painting directly from memories began with a 2024 collection of 20 works on paper. Eight original pieces from this pivotal series—now held by Gallery Tornby—were created using a rich mix of acrylic paint, colored pencils, and water-soluble oil pastels, inspiring the intuitive approach she uses today.
Her paintings often begin with a fleeting moment, a color, or a feeling, and although abstract, many hold a quiet story beneath the surface. Color plays a structural role in her work, acting as emotional atmosphere and anchor, while gestural lines and layered forms trace movement and memory across the canvas. Working intuitively, Maria builds and rebuilds her compositions through adding, scraping back, and revealing, embracing the act of painting as both puzzle and problem-solving. There is a constant tension between weight and lightness, density and openness, as each piece evolves toward resolving the feeling or story that first inspired it.
Maria is represented by Gallery Tornby in Denmark, as well as Railway Street Gallery + Studio plus The Art Precinct in Auckland, ZeaYou Gallery in Taupo, and Quiet Dog Gallery in Nelson. You can find her vessels at the Te Uru Shop in Titirangi.
CV
July 2026 Works on paper, exhibition at Galleri Tornby, Denmark
March 2026 Works on paper, exhibition at Railway Street Gallery
Dec 2025 Group Show Railway Street
August 2025 Group Show Studio to Wall lll Ponsonby
July 2025 between worlds solo exhibition, Railway street Gallery
Dec 2024 Brown Art School level 4 end of year exhibition
Nov 2024 Open Studios Waitakere
August 2024 Baradene Art Exhibition
August 2024 250 Gallery “Studio to wall 2” Group Exhibition
July 2024 Auckland Art Show
July 2024 Railway Street Gallery + Studios “Follow the Line” Solo Show
April 2024 Award 2nd Prize Waitakere Arts member’s exhibition
Feb 2024 The Vessel, Railway Street Gallery + Studio
Jan 2024 Railway Street Gallery “Dog Days” Group Exhibition
Dec 2023 The Upstairs Gallery Summer Show Group Exhibition
Nov 2023 Open Studios Waitakere
Oct 2023 Kings College Art Exhibition
Sept 2023 Merit Ceramic Award Waitakere Art Exhibition
Sept 2023 2 page Article in North and South Magasin
Sept 2023 250 Gallery “Studio to wall 1” Group Exhibition
Aug – Now 2023 Wayfind Creative programme and mentoring
August 2023 Baradene Arts Exhibition
June 2023 “A Piece of Me” Solo exhibition Railway street Gallery + Studio
Feb 2023 Railway Street Gallery + Studios “To sit beside you” Group Exhibition
Oct 2022 Kings College Exhibition
Nov 2022 Open Studios Waitakere
August 2022 Titirangi Painters, group exhibition
June 2022 Kumeu Arts, Solo Exhibition
May 2022 Auckland Art Show, The Cloud
August 2021 3 paintings on TV The Block
Dec 2020 Upstairs Gallery, Sumner Show, group exhibition
Dec 2020 Depot Artspace group exhibition
raphics, Ukraine.