Maria Morando has always enjoyed art and has been an artist for most of her life. She is particularly interested in capturing the beauty of animals and nature in her paintings. This can be see in her impressive landscapes, floral paintings, birds and equine art. She loves being able to paint a memorable scene from the outside world, bring it into the home in the form of of art, and enjoy it day after day.

Originally from Massachusetts, Maria graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a major in fine art. Shortly after graduation, she started her career as a graphic artist in the Boston area. She remained a graphic artist for a few years until she decided to focus more on illustration. She then became a freelance artist designing and painting surface illustrations for products produced by the Hallmark Company as well as other smaller companies.

Upon marrying, Maria moved to Virginia where she changed her focus from graphics and illustration to fine art. She began painting wildlife and birds using fluid acrylic as her medium. She remained a bird artist for a number of years and has numerous paintings in private collections throughout the country.

Maria had not painted with oils since her college days, but decided to try her hand at it once again in 1994. She has been a fan of oils ever since. She finds painting with oils very satisfying, in that it enables her to depict anything on canvas that is possible for her to visualize. Her paintings are vibrant with color, and her classical style gives her paintings a lifelike appearance, while still retaining the look of the painter's hand. She loves to paint that which personally inspires her, but she does occasionally accept commissions.

Maria currently lives in Virginia with her husband and their daughter.