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“Paradise is a State of Mind” An illustration I made for a friend. I started sketching it whilst waiting for her arrival in the intense heat of a Sri Lankan beach hut. The words in the image stem from conversations we’d had in the past. Photo: Maia Walczak
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“Dreams” Inspired by sunset sessions in the sea, and the dreamlike state they can put you in. Photo: Maia Walczak
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Cover design for Amy Hiller’s ‘The Made Up Ep’, and ‘What You Can’t See Doesn’t Exist’ - part of a series of prints created for the ‘Making Waves’ exhibition for Surfers Against Sewage. In a documentary about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, Captain Charles Moore said that “what you can’t see doesn’t exist,” referring to the fact that the average human being hasn’t seen the insanity of what is going on in the central North Pacific, and if they haven’t seen it, it’s just not an issue. Photo: Maia Walczak
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Section from ‘Molecules’ and ‘Pure Water?’ - another illustration from a series created for the ‘Making Waves’ exhibition for Surfers Against Sewage. This one is about the irony of ‘pure mineral water’ and how so many of those plastic bottles of water find their way into and trash the ocean. Photo: Maia Walczak
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Section from ‘Elements’ – mixed media on reclaimed wood …And some surfboard art. Photo: Maia Walczak
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A t-shirt design I worked on for a surfboard shaper. Photo: Maia Walczak
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“The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever” ~ Jacques Cousteau. Mixed media on reclaimed wood. Photo: Maia Walczak
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Board art created especially for the ‘Making Waves’ exhibition for Surfers Against Sewage. The blank surfboard was kindly donated by Chris Ryan. Photo: Maia Walczak
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“Underwater” This is an illustration of a scene from a novel I’m working on. Photo: Maia Walczak
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“Sea Hair” Photo: Maia Walczak
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“Mermaid’s Tears” Part of a series of three prints created for the ‘Making Waves’ exhibition for Surfers Against Sewage. The series is inspired by our plastic culture and The Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Photo: Maia Walczak
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Section from ‘The Birds and The Sea’ and ‘Everything is Energy’ “Everything is energy and that’s all there is to it.” ~Albert Einstein. Photo: Maia Walczak
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‘The Mother of Ten Thousand Things’ “…Existence is the mother of all things...” ~Tao Te Ching. Photo: Maia Walczak
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‘Slow Down’ and ‘The Sea and Moon’ Illustrations from a series of children’s stories I’ve created about a fox and a girl. Photo: Maia Walczak
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“Sea Maiden” Photo: Maia Walczak
Maia Walczak is a self-taught artist, author and illustrator of children’s picture books and novelist. She was born in London, spent her childhood summers in the forests of Poland, and has lived in the UK, Chile and Australia. The ocean and waves, the beauty of nature, the mysteries of the universe and the simple but extraordinary fact of existence are all part of what inspires Maia’s art and work.
Maia has been drawing since she was a kid but only started to take it more seriously after a trip to Australia in 2008 where she traveled around with a sketchbook and a surfboard, and remembered how much she loved making art. She came back home, held an exhibition that went better than expected and then decided she was going to dedicate more time to it.
From there, she has been commissioned to work on various projects, including painting surfboards, restaurant murals, designing music covers and illustrating children’s books. She now writes and illustrates her own picture books, takes part in and holds exhibitions – including the recent “Making Waves” Surfers Against Sewage benefit exhibition with The Happy Gallery and is having her debut novel published in Summer 2014.
To see more of Maia’s work, check out her website (maiawalczak.com) and her facebook page.
