Maya was born in the Great Lakes region of Canada in 1977. Her parents had recently immigrated from Denmark when she was born. Both her parents are artists and so Maya grew up in a world of art and colours.

Taking art courses all her life and having an unlimited supply of art materials, she was always encouraged in her passion.

Maya graduated from the Canterbury School of Arts in 1995, where she majored in photography and etching. She began working at Calligrammes art gallery in Ottawa from 1993, where she worked for three years. Working at Calligrammes prepared her for working at an art and framing store in Toronto for almost five years where she learned to frame and handle fine art. Leaving Canada in the fall of 2003, she ended up in Seoul where she taught English as a Second Language. She continued to travel around Asia throughout her 18 months of work.

When her contracts in Korea were finished Maya traveled to India. From there she flew to Beijing where she traveled by train all the way to Saint Petersburg via Mongolia and eventually by way of Poland, took a ferry to Bornholm, where she still now lives. Bornholm is a wonderful little Danish island in the middle of the Baltic Sea, North of Poland and East of Sweden. It is famous for it's special light and has attracted artists to it for centuries. Bornholm is known for it's art scene and the amount of artists per capita is astounding and stimulating.

Maya has travelled in over 30 different countries, always with her old Minolta in her purse. She loves most to take photos of people, especially the elderly and the very young.

Maya also

draws inspiration from the art of children and their spontaneous

and unpretentious way of painting. She believes that the soul of

art is lost somewhat in the planning of a painting, and prefers to

let her emotions and experiences escape on to her canvas freely.

When she feels an artist block, she looks through her many art

books, or goes through her own childhood drawings.

Maya and her parents opened a beautiful gallery in an old barn from the 17th century. The gallery has become a sort of cultural centre, with music, slideshows and other events. Maya exhibits her artwork there with many other talented artists as well as with her parents.

www.mayahiortpetersen.com