Maria Walther

I am born in the Netherlands, I live in the south of France.
I work with glazing, an ancient technique which involves painting with very thin layers of oil paint. This gives an effect of transparency over the dry basegroundcolor. Usually, many layers are needed to produce th required result.

I was born in The Netherlands and studied Fine Art at the Vrije Academie in The Hague under Professors Wil Bouthoorn and Jan Sierhuis, and at the Minerva Academy in Groningue under Professor Jan de Boer.
I have exhibited in Amsterdam, The Hague, Groningue, London and here in France.
In The Netherlands I began by working on woodcuts, etching and large format oil painting, stylistically mostly abstract or lyrical.
I now work on large format with glaze finish, an ancient technique involving the application of very thin coats of oil paint, which work to produce a transparent effect against the dry underpainting of the picture. Usually, several coats are required to produce the desired, ‘shine through’ effect.

I live in a little hamlet near the picturesque village of Lastours in the Black Mountains, in the midst of the Cathar region, and overlooked by four medieval castles not far from the magnificent city of Carcassonne.

Vineyards producing the AOC wines of Cabardès and Minervois grow in abundance nearby, but it is the wild nature of the Black Mountains above all else, with its wide variety of flora and fauna, that is the fundamental source of my inspiration.