Amidst the hum of campus life, where deadlines and summatives dominate, student artist Maria Belderbos finds solace in paint and canvas. A first-year English Literature and Creative Writing student, Maria’s work has been gaining attention for its evocative use of colour and composition. I sat down with Maria to discuss her artistic journey, inspirations, and the challenges of balancing creativity with academics. 

Discovering art when she was only three or four, Maria expressed how she had “always loved it,” with A level art becoming a “learning curve” in her artistic development. Her gap year supplied her time to dedicate herself to art, allowing Maria the chance to further her work and time as an artist, taking on bigger paintings and projects; including taking part in exhibitions and launching her own website. 

While Maria specialises in oil portraits, which makes up a significant part of her work, she uses a range of different media, such as watercolour in her cityscape collection. She strives for every piece to be “different from a snapshot” and for each unique piece to be an “experience of the individual” subject of the painting. Maria’s ‘Self-Portrait: At Home’, is a piece in her arsenal that has influenced her growing collection. Determined to capture the many sides and interests of herself, Maria’s self-portrait presents an interesting commentary of the multifaceted personality of a singular person. The realism in the work creates a dreamy yet vibrant effect on the contorted composition through the bold, stylistic choice of blending. The layering and use of concentrated colours create an arguable atmosphere of surrealism that can be found throughout her paintings. The of perspective in this work draws the eye in to the figure, as the feet stand out in the foreground demanding the attention of the view to focus on her mismatched shoes.  The shadow cast in her self-portrait further actualises a nod to the storytelling impressionists who inspired Maria, as the shadow creates the shape of a side profile further implying a sense of the many personalities and sides to herself still hidden away, which captures an essence of surrealism in her compositions.  

As we can all understand, being a uni student is particularly demanding, with time filled not only from academics to life, but getting to grips with the independence of the uni lifestyle. However, art and paint for Maria has become a constant in her routine. Armed with “tea and hot water bottles” Maria finds the time to paint whenever she can in her studio/garage. Her time painting becomes a much-needed mental divide, a “headspace change” enabling an undisturbed environment for creativity. 

Aside from pursuing her art further, Maria also hopes to continue her writing—another strong passion—as she works toward becoming a published author. Having already written her first coming of age novel Write My Name in Water, Maria hopes to take this to agents and see her work in bookshops some day. 

As our conversation wrapped up, it was clear that Maria’s passion for art is as vivid as her paintings. Whether on canvas or in conversation, she reminds us that art is not just an escape—it’s a language of its own, one that continues to evolve with every brushstroke. 

To find out more about Maria Belderbos’ work visit her website mariabelderosart.com or follow her on Instagram at maria_belerbos_art