Photos: Phillip Greenpun

Piano Bruce Hughes:
"Be Still My Soul"


MARIA TUMA
11320 N.W. 58 Place
Hialeah, Florida 33012

PH. 305-822-2799

Some people have told me to make series of a certain subject matter because galleries like to identify an artist with a body of work. I like too many things to limit myself to seascapes, landscapes, animals: dogs, horses, birds, butterflies, chickens in a farm, sheeps, some patriotic themes, people (my favorite subject), children, religious and Biblical illustrations or representations, portraits, fruits, vegetables or flowers on a still-life, ballet and flamenco dancers, in a realistic-impressionistic genre. I have also done expressionistic representations of people as shown in my acrylics, which many people have told me that they like those a lot.

If I only had models to pose for the different ideas I have to paint, it will be so much easier than to imagine the proportions, size, angle of a human figure and correct composition.

During my college days I wanted to go study Classical Painting at a good ART ACADEMY, either in the USA or Europe, but always sharing life with my mother kept me from PAINTING as I wanted. Now that I'm nearly 60 years of age I have determined to paint daily and learn what I could not years ago.

This idea of telling an artist to do a ONE thing only is an insult to any creative mind. Is like telling Leonardo Da Vinci: "only do faces similar to Mona Lisa", and what about his other inventions? the first shape of what became a guitar, the 1st drawings for an airplane, etc.

I wrote a play years ago which I donated to Catholic Charities: Encuentros Familiares in Miami and it was presented in the auditorium of Assumption Academy on Brickell Ave.

I wrote a musical play entitled "LIBERTAD"© 2005, and six songs: danzones and other genre for this musical that is waiting for sponsors to be able to open the show in Dade County Auditorium theatre, hoping to have this musical as a traveling show.

Copyrighted a book of photos and poems, waiting for money for it to be published.

Published two Cuban calendars, one for 2005 with photo montages and the other for 2007 with photos of Cuba in 1906. Both calendars with historical dates.

I won 1st place in a Latin America poetry contest held in Rosario, Argentina in 2007. Three of my poems were published in an Anthology and I received a Medal of Honor in POETRY.

I have created a design of a purse and briefcase that is in the Patent Offices in Alexandria, Va. Patent pending...

So my ART is not limited to one thing. I only wish I could do all I have in mind to do. I pray for health and the finances to be able to produce it all.

I' m 59 years of age, and I worry about how much life time I have left to be able to paint all that I want, sort of listed above... and more...However little by little I will continue to do and paint what I can under the present circumstances, with rehumatoid arthritis, taking care of home and my 97 years old mother.* It is not easy, with little finantial income and how expensive life is today and the high cost of art supplies, frames, advertising, is hard.

At times I stay up untill 3 or 4 in the morning: painting...

People ask me: what do you paint? My answer is: "many things and almost any thing." Hoping to continue overcoming obstacles of many sorts, to be able to complete many paintings already started that are unfinished and make some new ones and be able to see them sold in my lifetime. It would be absolutely boring to me to do the same thing over and over again -because it sells- and that is what the galleries want or how the "art" market is established at the present time. It is boring to me to paint, (for instance): PEOPLE over and over again...or just seascapes. I'm trying to achieve a classical look, although I'm a bit hyper and it clashes with classical realism. I'm trying to control my self in order to achieve the degree of realism I desire. The fast loose brush strokes comes natural to me; it is the fine control that I need to work on....and also I want to do some of those loose abstract-expressionistic and some impressionistic as well.  It is a race against time...but I enjoy running it or walking it.   

Miami, Fl. November 28, 2007

  * Mother passed to be with JESUS on May 5, 2009 due to cardiac problems.
She was 98 yrs. old.
___________________________________________________________________
   
   On 9/23/08 I received this email from one of my former Art Students:

   Miss Tuma...

   I  was a student of yours MANY years ago at Westview. I did a Google
   search and found your page.
   Iam so sorry to hear of the issue that led to you leaving MDPS...

   I did the search because you and John Doyle were two of the greatest
   educators I had ever met in the public school forum.

   Thanks!!!
   Rick Bergquist
   Westview Junior High
   1975-1977
    ________________________________________________________________
 
    It was an honor to receive this email from Rick. I did not know I impacted
    this student and perhaps others is such a positive manner. I only tried to do
    the best I knew to give to others. The sad story is that my believes and my love for others
    was seen by the Miami Dade Public Schools administrators as a bad thing
    and I was dismissed from the Public Schools, inspite having many students win Art Contests
    and was nominated by my good peers as Teacher of the Year in Ojus Elementary...

    "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for     darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter."

                                                                             Isaiah 5:20

   This information was added on April 18, 2011.

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