Maia Shockley was the Best in Show winner of the 25th Annual Rembrandt Youth Art Competition, with her digital painting, “Dani Rose and Me”. I’m sure that you will agree that this is a great painting. When you meet Maia, you will be even more inspired by this creative young artist.
Maia is 11 years old and has a genetic disease called SMA (spinal muscular atrophy) that weakens her muscles. She cannot walk or move most of her muscles, but she can use her left thumb to create digital paintings using a trackpad.
According to Maia, “Art is my creative outlet. It's how I share my ideas and my mind to people without having to say a single word. And It's not only a hobby, I aim to have art as a career. Due to my condition, there are not many "normal" career paths I can choose from, but luckily art does not require much physical strength. My inspiration is actually how I am able to inspire people with my art and story. It motivates me to keep creating so I can motivate others.”
Maia has been creating visual arts her entire life, but has really focused on improving her skills over the past two years. She first started drawing, doing small black and white sketches. Now, she is doing digital painting, either based on scenes from real life, such as Dani Rose and Me or from her imagination. This young artist is dedicated to improving her skills. She takes two art classes–one every Thursday, and one every other Friday–with her instructors: Catherine Lasky and Michael Lyman. She says, “I am extremely grateful for both of my instructors, they have taught me many useful techniques and tips. I would not have gotten this far without them.”
We asked her about how she created this striking digital painting. “The painting is of Dani Rose–the horse–nuzzling me gently. I created this piece a few days after touring the ranch where Dani Rose lived. Catherine Lasky was with us at the ranch and helped me create Dani Rose and Me. I chose to draw the piece to show the connection between us, and to show my love of animals. I usually start with a photo of the subject as a reference and go from there, however I do add some artistic touches to it. My paintings usually take around 1-3 days depending on how much detail is needed. All my tools I use are on my digital painting software.”
What’s next for Maia? “I've taken on commissions recently, so that's been keeping me busy for the time being. I plan to participate in more art shows and I'm always improving my art little by little each day, but I'm not in any rush. Hopefully soon I'll create my next big piece!”
Maia told us that she was very honored to win best of show in the Rembrandt Youth Art Competition. “This is a milestone in my art career and a huge step for getting me recognized as an artist.” We are very honored that Maia has shared her art with us and agree that everyone who sees her work and learns about her would be inspired by her.
