"Beginnings" Painting

Contemplative experiences fuel my life and art. The energy of life on earth which I seek daily and cultural and internal worlds have created a visual language which allows for the viewer to be a participant. Real, symbolic and abstract, the paintings mirror the connection of deep wisdom felt by mindfully being committed to stay in touch with what really matters in life: love, beauty, joy, curiosity and wonder. People often comment that they sense the sacred and spiritual in the paintings, transcendent and sublime beyond an individual, and they are inspired to continue their own spirituality which is reflected in the art. I hope to continue to keep my mind open to something much greater and easily lost without continuous commitment.

Dr. Maria Jaoudi’s transcendent paintings inspired by the insights of world mystics visually form landscapes of consciousness in nature. These inner and outer worlds are taken from microscopic and telescopic imagery, and ordinary observations in nature. Included along with the paintings are actual images from biology, botany and other illustrations of ​nature: SEM images of human neuron networks and plant cells, octopuses and bird feathers, James Webb telescopic views of our cosmos. These mirror and expand our insights into consciousness, who we are and how our identity is shaped as kin belonging with all of sentient life.

Jaoudi has been painting and writing since her childhood. Later, she studied art and philosophy in New York where she met her husband, Harry Smith, a philosopher and writer. Maria studied for her ​master​'s and ​doctorate degrees while always continuing to paint and write. She was fortunate to begin academic teaching while studying for her ​mas​ter's degree, and has continued to teach. ​Harry and Maria's son, Harrison, has a master's degree in Philosophy and is now a medical student at Georgetown University.

Maria Jaoudi, Ph.D., Professor, California State University
Background in NYC (The Art Students League), France

Exhibitions and presentations include: Oxford University, Yale University, Bloomingdale's, Fordham University, Georgia State University with Helen Frankenthaler, Imogen Cunningham, and Judy Chicago; The Crocker Museum and California State University, Sacramento, California; UC Davis Alumni Center; C.G. Jung Institute, San Francisco; Hotel Clarice Gallery, Cannes, France.