Maria Montiel

Maria Montiel (b.1981) is from Venezuela and arrived in Spain in 2007 to study Textile Design. For her, it was the best way to mix what she loves the most: illustration and graphic design. She describes herself as “an artist with a tropical soul in a Mediterranean land”.

Now based in Barcelona at the vibrant Barrio of Gràcia, Maria completed her degree in Graphic design with a specialization in pattern design in Madrid (Instituto Europeo de Diseño, 2009). With a grandfather who was an art collector and her parents architects, she developed an artistic soul from an early age.

She takes inspiration from her memories, her Dad’s orchid garden, and her travels. The jungle of Latin America with its vivid colors and rich textures blooms in her organic and colorful illustrations. Maria mainly uses watercolor to create imaginative worlds full of warmth and magic, aimed at infecting everyone with joy.

When living in Venezuela, she fell in love with the “Cayena blanca”-flower (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis) on an excursion with friends. She therefore started to brand herself under that name to create products with her prints (smartphone cases, notebooks, stationary, accessories).

In 2018, she was invited to Brooklyn by Ag Gallery to s...

-Degree in Graphic design 2000-2005 Universidad del Zulia, Venezuela.
-Master Degree in Textile and surface design 2007 - 2009 Instituto IED Madrid, España.
-Master Degree Illustration 2010 - 2012 ESDIP Madrid, España.

.2010 Collective exhibition."Jóvenes valores del diseño en Femenino" Instituto Europeo di Design. Madrid, Spain
-.2013 Collective exhibition ¨Early Bloom" AG Gallery, Brooklyn NY
-.2017 Individual Exhibition " Magia " ITACATE, Barcelona
-.2018 Individual Exhibition " Folklore " AG Gallery, Brooklyn NY