sábado, 12 de febrero de 2022

My website move to blog Art Portfolio

I wanted to make a space in where I can see the main portfolio of my Art story as I had it in my website. If you are reading this and maybe knew my website, now you might discover that "mariammay.com" is gone. And this post, at times a mourning for it, it also shows that it was necessary for my to grow towards other realms. 

That page is part of a path towards Restoration-Conservation and Art Creation within Ireland. Now, nothing has changed: I am still living here and I do create in my moments of leisure for myself. But sometimes I can't spread myself too thing, so as I am not that active with the page, and neither as a creator of plastic Art, it is better to move all here. 

This is the reason for the last posts and the great gallery and prices of my Art work shown downbelow. Of course, text me if interested in any similar works as I show here. Or if you think you can get some idea of what you want and my style suits your preference, send me an email to mariamartinmayorga@gmail.com and I will respond, so grateful, to your enquiry.

Now, with no further ado, let's take a look into the Art time machine: from old to recent:

Character Colouring (2012)


Design for T de Triana Bar (2014)

Character Design & Colouring (2016)

Tattoo Design "Gogga" Ink&Colour (2016)

Dragon Colouring (2016)
Spartan Design (2016)

Tattoo Design "Samurai" Ink (2017)

Split Contest Design B&W (2017)


Seville's Cathedral Original (a4) from 2011
Sold for 150€

Split Contest Design (2017)

"Seville" (2017)

"I Dreamed a Dream" (2018)
Original: 225,00€
Print: 25,00€

"Swam" (2018)
Original: 150,00€
Print: 15,00€
"Hold me"
Example for Couple's Portrait Commission
B&W with Ink in A3
Original: 220,00€
Print: 28,00€


"Cosima"
Example of single portrail commission A4, B&W with Graphite
Original: 180,00€
Print: 15,00€

Pet "Epi"
Example of single pet commission in A5 with Watercolours/Ink
Original: 150,00€
Print: 15,00€

"Sing" (A5)
Original: 150,00€
Print:15,00€

"Feel the Music"(A3)
Original: 300,00€
Print: 25,00€

"Zebras"
Example for couple pets commission in A3 with Watercolours/Ink
Orignal: 180,00€
Print: 18,00€

"Giraldillo"
Example for commission for Arquitecture Ink in A4
Original: SOLD for 200,00€
Print: 18,00€

"Westport House"
Original: 120,00€
Print: 15,00€

"Harbour"
Original: 125,00€
Print: 15,50€

"Hogwarts Express"
Original: 200,00€
Print: 15,00€

"Alejandro"
Example of single portrait commission B&W with graphite on A3
Price: 180,00€

"Julie's Family"
Commission for Family Portrait B&W with Graphipe & Charcoal on A3 Grey Paper
Original: 120,00€
Print: 18,00€ 

"Trust Us"
Example for couples portrait commission with Watercolours&Ink on A3
Original: 400,00€
Print: 28,00€

Eire Mermaid or "Kelpie"
Example for single portrait commission with Coloured Graphites on A4
Original: 180,00€
Print: 25,00€

"An Irish Path"
Commission of Ink landscape A5
Original: 120,00€
Print: 15,00€

"Railway 2.0"
Example for Single Portrait (Vertical) with Watercolours/Ink on A3
Average Prize: 250,00€
Original: 400,00€
Print: 25,00€

"Swizz Memories"
Commission with Ink&White Graphite on Toned A5
Original: 120,00€
Print: 15,00€

"My Secret Place"
Original: 120,00€
Print: 15,00€
"It Feels Nice in Here"
Original: 100,00€
Print: 15,00€

"Swams on the Lake"
Original: 120,00€
Print: 15,00€

"Irish Landscape"
Original: 120,00€
Print: 15,00€

"Hogwarts Castle"
Original: 200,00€
Print: 15,50€
"The Holy Mountain"
Commission of Watercolour Landscape on A3
Original: 120,00€
Print: 25,00€

"Squared Mind"
Example for single portrait (horizontal) with Watercolours/Ink on A3
Average Prize: 250,00€
Original: 300,00€
Prize: 25,00€

"Awakening 2.0" (A3)
Original: 200,00€
Print: 22,00€

"Helena 30's" 
Commission for Portrait+Landscape with Coloured Graphites on A3
Original: 280,00€
Print: 25,00€


"Hagrid's Cottage" (A3)
Original: 220,00€
Print A3: 20,00€
Print A5: 8,00€

"Hobbit's Home"
Original: 120,00€
Print: 8,00€
"Colin's Fire"
Commissioned Portrait on A4 (9in x 12in)
Dry Technique on Gray Acid Free Paper.
Original: 300,00€


For the ones who made it this far, thank you, and see you in the next post. 
Farewell, my beautiful art webpage and welcome to my blog-art-portfolio. 

© María M. Mayorga

jueves, 2 de septiembre de 2021

Why I changed a career in Conservation-Restoration to focus on Natural Health

The while that took me to come back, so many things changed. One of the main happenings is this one:

I am saying «see you later» to Restoration and Conservation to follow another path, again.

Even though the knowledge prevails I felt as if my path was bringing me in another direction. I believe that sometimes, even trying hard, your life never goes as planned. Or maybe there is something that feels off, i.e. a bit forced.

Whatever it is I asked the wise ones, and along with my intuition I thought: it’s time to leave it behind as an active part of you. In the meantime, active life stopped. So I took the chances to go on regular walks, watching clearly and in detail the plants around me: The shapes and colour they had, how quickly they changed within the season. 

How and idea became an inspiration looking at others ahead

Close people were planting herbs, flowers and plants in their garden. In my case, I took a step back: instead of killing more herbs from the supermarket, I prefered to focus on foraging wild plants.

I ended up doing Herbalism courses about local Irish plants and its benefits. I also moved into making more of my cosmetics at home to go natural and handcrafted.

My point here is that instead of banging my head against the wall I prefered to walk a new path, one that kept me interested and not anxious. In other circumstances I wouldn’t have minded the constant learning but I guess it didn’t click in that way.

I decided to recycle myself again

The reason I get from this is that this knowledge could help people now, instead of working with belongings. Health was more important for me than possessions, in these moments something secondary. I don’t mean bad to the professionals in this realm but as I said: for me something was off. My options weren’t the best and other paths became brighter. I wanted to discover my world through my surroundings, understanding the real reason I never left this country. Trying to get into the magic that makes so many people come back with no clear explanation.

What happens now?

I am working on many things but I am glad to say that magic comes in every day to who knows where to look for inspiration. And maybe that’s the reason I did not want to leave this country yet. 

The experience of beauty has for the most part a particular force. There are times when beauty is shy and hesitates until it can trust the worthiness of the beholder.

John O’Donohue: «Divine Beauty».

Details on my work at the moment

For the moment I focus on my Art in many ways. But I started my own company of handcrafted cosmetics, specially body soap. 

Although the details of that will be revealed in another post. <3



© María M. Mayorga

jueves, 24 de junio de 2021

About the experience #createwithmey live art sessions

A few months have passed since I finished this experience that started in March and continued until May. But time was neede to gather some wisdom I got from the experience.

What I loved and what I have to learn for next time

I just realized that I never reflected about a sudden idea I had that gave me so many sweet and a few sour moments. This idea being that I wanted to connect better with friends and family in a way that I can communicate my way.

We talk different languages according to the way we behave and act in life. Days before I got a message from friends_ and the universe through them_ that I needed to connect with them more. I was getting too inwards with my art in a way that I’d lose them if I’d keep going like that. Call it workaholic if you want.

So after hours of thinking, I had an idea. As I couldn’t naturally connect with them in their way, I just needed to find an easy link to make creativitymore accessible to them. This way I wouldn,t listen anymore to things like «I wish I was creative like you» or «I could just draw a stickman and that’s about it».

Bullshit, excuse my language. But it’s true. And after reading several books about the theme I can come to one term:

Creativity is a tool for all to help us cope

Creativity is a tool for all to use. Even if you don’t consider it as a job for you, being creative in any way is a part of us as creatures of Nature. You just need to re-discover it. No matter the quality of your result because of the doing and what experience can give you _once you get rid of the external cricit voices_ it’s what really matters!

Being in the flow is being part of the creation. The unknown that guides you to your better sense. That grounds you back to your real being. It is a meditative practice while you have fun.

This idea crossed my head as a way to work together through the last 2 months of a heavy quarantine in Ireland for some of us.

Things I loved and realized with the experience:

So I did it and it felt great! My fears of the camera and talking in public vanished the first day. Maybe the second I wasn’t in my best moment for real tiredness but I showed up for my art and people.

1st week’s sketch: Fountain

And even if I got 5 people painting for me, that showed that there was a minimum interest. I could connect with those who wanted to have a calming time with me and get out of their comfort zone. Because, guess what! I was doing the same with them!

We went through the use of different techniques to paint a fountain, a hobby that we wanted to nurture, a flower to welcome Spring and to end we used a colour to work on our favourite landscape.

Now that I can think it through I can say that we went from small details of an object in place to a whole missed place to go, passing through dreams and rejoicing about the nature around us. That’ s powerful!

We were indeed healing together through Art! I’m so glad I was part of that even if I was focused on teaching things instead of creating with the music as the background. Some people just watch, and that’s ok too. We are all at different levels of the story.

I got to connect with old friends or acquaintances I met in college, which is my real present here. And I also got to connect a family for an hour to paint together and have fun and relaxing time.

What I wish I had prepared better and need to chance for next time

I tried to go all at once on two social media platforms, Instagram being my main one. So the first day, of course, I could not make it work so that I’d connect with more people.

3rd week’s sketch: Flower

There were friends in that area that wanted to join but at not being possible that time I lost them. There were others which the time and day I chose would not go with their schedule. And that’ s ok too.

I was doing a day that went ok for me, that let me go back to art after a busy week and I got the people that could join me.

Next time I’d try another platform, maybe another day. But now it’s time to retreat and learn by myself.

It can be really exhausting and challenging to be thinking about things to say, in which language, in order to attract people to not leave. This game of attention tricks you to think that if you have no many followers you are boring. But I continue thinking that it’s not that. Just that I did not find my niche yet. Let’s give it time and work.

Small victories are easier to handle and I learn from them rather than dealing with lots of people with different proposals that I don’t follow.

A small community of people genuinely interested is more of my taste than having numbers that don’t matter in real connection.

If I can help just one soul- as aunt Lydia would say- that will make my path worthy.

What will be my next approach to the live sessions?

The idea that created the first one is already done so I need to create a new purpose for the next one: For example, so far I’m collecting experiences I learned in college that can help people as therapy sessions for lost souls.

4th and last week’s sketch as example

I’d follow my belief once I finish my recovery path (TAW) that we all need to learn and share with each other. And also that creativity is the spiritual and rebellious path to stay sane in this insane world that we all share.

It is more general and trascendental, not as precise, but I guess you get my point, no?

That needs more preparation… Until one day all of the sudden I miss it so much that I’ll just connect to say hi. And then I’ll paint my thing while I hope to be accompanied painting similar topics.

For me, Life it’s a bit of planning and a bit of just letting your gut decide.

The only thing I know now is that my path is to finish some personal stuff and learning before I can share it away.

Let’s take a reset and see you very soon!

Last drawing: Landscape in green-ish tones, given away


© María M. Mayorga

lunes, 21 de junio de 2021

Dealing with Portrait commissions




This realization ocurred a Sunday 16th May through a myself-day to work on portraits for commissions.

For a long time I believed that getting portraits from a picture was just copying and little creating. It cannot be said that it was considered cheating but from my experience it had little soul to it. Maybe because it was not talking about me but about other person that I might know or not.

And that’s ok but it was for a time some constricted feeling in a moment in which my need to expand in other directions was more needed that mere exercises.

But now I see it as a pour of my vision into the picture, as I am not tracing. The latter is a technique that I just considered to do when real problems arise, I have a tight deadline or even intimidation due to mixed feelings. There can be certain self doubt or pressure that triggers the creation and more than often I would get myself into a big challenge. I tried to go big and I had to go back to my safety area to thrive and develop.

Like it’s never enough as every piece it has its difficulties, I’d push myself further than my mind can handle. Even by doing long hours and getting discouraged.

Thanks to my long experience with college, for years my main technique it has been graphite. Even better results if done on grey paper. Now, the results will be outstanding that way from a technique I use since I started.

Another example is the case of Julie’s Portraits. The graphite was quicker and I could extract the essence of the people really quickly. Like I was making a clay sculpture I add and substract layers as I can see neccesary. It’s a changeable thing.

And that’s not something I can do with watercolours yet. (Maybe when I find the right paper that holds my water and brushes away). I go with a bit of fear knowing that every stroke will be difficult to go back from if it changes the person’s face characteristics.

The person is more worked and focused even tho the background colours could go gently around it.

Talk about Julie portraits, Colin portrait and retrace back to Xmas commission and the differences.

Use the audio in the phone about the magic of seeing through the faces if I choose or make the pictures myself. I get them as I see them.


Realization about my personal hand as a vessel to bring out part of the feelings or interior that is hardly seen. Even seeing through the soul or the future! : In here talk about your selfportrait with the train that had its own meaning but it ended up being future related?





© María M. Mayorga

jueves, 17 de junio de 2021

Of how I manifested love into the universe thanks to my Portraits series for Valentines Day

Aragorn and Arwen portrait is one of my favourite artwork done as part of a Saint Valentine Series from 2017-2018.

I love the Tolkien universe but I never dared to make a finished product like this one. I might have used Tolkien characters from Lord of the Rings to enhance my love for portraits back in college. But it had been a long time since I made those.

Anyway, my main idea was to speak about love in movies. It had been a long time since I broke up with my boyfriend and after passing through a phase of hate-to-all-the-couples I started to adjust to certain movies that had a bit of a romantic side in it. So when this series came as an idea I made it as a way to make peace with that hater part of myself that was against love. Well, it is not that I was looking for it actively but I felt it for friends and it was a starting point to melt my stony heart.

I listed the ones in which couples were brought to each by amazing circumstances, by magic or by providence. The ones I wanted to believe were happening. Other love stories are so unreal that it might be the reason I forbid myself to watch them. They can indeed teach wrong values that do not necessarily happen to ral couples in the real world.

But my favourite movies had something to show, some passion that both the person that encountered each other would be in a way independant. So the relationship wouldn’t be that toxic and dependent.

Let’s put some examples here, shall we?

«You Before Me» (2017)

1. You Before Me

In this movie the main story goes around a girl that gets employed to work for a handicap person. This man in particular is a sour soul that behaves as if he’s lost all hope. He had everything in life like success and money but he still had to know kindness. Maybe he’d be able to live in a different way, being his eyes opened by this “normal” girl he wouldn’t have put his eyes on in his previous life.

«The Time of my Life» (2017)

2. Dirty Dancing

This movie I’ve known since I was a little girl which I’d watch every year. I’ll make a quick plot one for whoever doesn’t know it: She goes on a family trip to a hotel, probably her last one before going to college. He is a hired dance teacher who is trying to improve his life. They both meet in unexpected circumstances and they have to help each other in some way. Through dance they heal dad issues, difficulties in life and wrong assumptions among others.

«You are the one that I want» (2017)

3. Grease

This is the second movie I’d discover being a little girl. Musical, school drama, the duckling kind of tale… come one, I’d love it. And I still do in a way. They are both teenagers that meet on a summer holiday at the beach. They have a great time and at the end of this term they believe their dream has come to an end. Until they see each other in the same school next year! Oh, boy, what a drama of jealousy and pretended manhood in order to keep cool. Fake stereotypes that work in a group until they don’t work anymore if you have to keep the person you really care for.

A great story that goes really quickly while you are singing, dancing or just enjoying the visuals in between 60’s dresses and milkshakes served in pinky dinners. 

«Night in Vienna» (2017)

4. Before Sunrise

This story in three parts was discovered during my time in Ireland. Probably at times when I was prepared to understand all the dense conversation that this couple is holding while walking the streets of Vienna. Do not expect more than amazing topics in between two strangers that meet in a train and decide to spend one day in a limbo in between their busy lives. This strange gesture, really intuitive, could indeed save and change their lives forever!

«A ride in Montmatre» (2018)

5. The fabulous destiny of Amélie Poulain

I am not gonna take anyone saying that this movie is a cliché that became a trend between the hipsters to come to Paris and stay in Montmartre. Apart from the boheme air that this story can have, I love it because it’s pure magic, fresh, full of youth and playfulness. It is a game, a return to childhood practices. A love game to bring charm into the world that lives immersed in desperation and boredom. The music is just class.

«Love, Rosie» (2018)

6. Love, Rosie

During this time I really went after some love movies that this male actor made. I admit it. But from the point of view of someone who doesn’t know much about cinema but chooses by wym, they were originally good. I’ll explain to you why I think that: it defends the friendship love between a man and a woman. A relationship that grows up from childhood, when they really met each other. Time passes by and they grow up, they change, and the others see that. They make mistakes with the people that choose but that might end up opening their eyes to see that no matter where they are in their lives, they need each other in some way. In a way that makes them feel grounded, to bring them back to the time they were original, when they were children and fearless.

«P.S. Guess What?» (2018)

7. P. S. I love you

Some people might say that this movie shows a dependent woman living through her husband’s letters. It is not. She is a woman trying to heal after an abrupt separation for natural causes. Sometimes we can get involved into a vortex of love that the person gives us, so much that we might lose our way.

They could have been trying to make up for their lives as they were, unexpected and perfect in an imperfect way. But they were happy if they didn’t choose to listen to others opinions. But the circumstances change and Holly needs to take small steps towards a life on her own, a recovery of her dreams that were lost in the way before she met Gerry. If you ask me, this guy could make me lose my head too… It is a story of gratefulness into the small moments and nostalgia for a past that was full. It shows that the path continues, with good friends & family and framed into a beautiful green Ireland.

«My heart will go on» (2018)

8. Titanic

I used to like it more when I was a child and despite leaving “Moulin Rouge” behind due to problems in the portraits, this movie reminded me of my teens. Rose was a strong woman secluded in a marriage that was keeping her small. She was unhappy and lacked passion in life. The moment that she met Jack, she was about to kill herself. They both start a friendly close relationship while travelling on the Titanic in which he teaches her “bad manners” and enjoyment through irish dance and party. There is an intense moment of Art making in which he is making her as pure as she is. She is seen differently through his eyes and that gives her the value she needs to be brave and go on living. 

«Hold me» (2018)

9. Edward Scissorhands

How can I describe this movie better than saying that it is about a strange person made with lost feelings that meets a lost girl when he is adopted to live in her family. This story talks about welcoming the freaks that might look scary at first. But they are no more than scared people, like abandoned animals to die.

This movie talks about integration of different people into the community because even they can make a great change into the general mood. Acceptance and tolerance are important values that some of us have forgotten. And they make a difference to us as human beings and part of Nature. So if you didn’t see this movie I would recommend it to you in order to melt your heart a bit. Come on, Johnny Deep cannot be more cute in this role. I’m so glad I met him through this lovely tale.

«If you trust nothing else, trust us» (2018)

10. Lord of the Rings (the two towers)

Despite the fact that I love with all my heart the whole trilogy I admit that the second part has so much juice for me to take. One of the moments is this one I portrayed: Aragorn gets visited by Arwen in a dream when he is in despair after losing a small battle. She holds the present of immortality she gave to him and reminds him that hope is the way to keep going forward, against the enemy that might look impossible to defeat.

He has a long way to go and she reminds him of his strength. What can I tell you guys? This is a perfect relationship in which she is strong and believer by herself, and he has her when he is lost in order to keep on fighting for what is fair in the Middle World, for his destiny as a king. The fact that she decides to give away her immortality speaks about the fact that she says: I’d rather share a lifetime with you than face all the ages of this world alone. And as an important detail they also grew up together so their friendship starts in a good and pure place.

Am I too biased by my current love life? Couldn’t be so. But it is hard not to realise now that I was constantly putting the morals I longed for out there for the universe to hear me and respond.

After years of refrection I’d like to think so: despite my active actions in life, my passive morals were reminding my subconscious what I should look for in my life. 

For that reason now I can say that I’d advise you to start listening to them sooner than later.



© María M. Mayorga