Channeling a stream of consciousness, Maria Calandra pulls from both the real and the imagined, to create paintings that liberate lived experiences from rational boundaries. Born in London and based in Brooklyn, the artist takes inspiration from her walks through nature, during which she observes the repetition in lines and colors across flowering plants, twisted roots and tree trunks, and reflective bodies of water. Calandra received an MFA from Cornell University in 2006 and a BFA from Ohio University in 1999, both in painting, and is currently preparing for a forthcoming solo exhibition at Fredericks and Freiser Gallery, New York. Additionally, she has presented work at venues such as G/ART/EN, Como; GNYP Gallery, Berlin; Steve Turner Gallery, Los Angeles; Essex Flowers, New York; and Mindy Solomon, Miami; among others.

Time of the Zinnia recounts a time when Calandra visited a farm near Hudson, New York, in which zinnias—favored by the artist for their vibrancy, variety, and peculiarity—bloomed throughout a field. Naturalistic yet psychedelic, the work features bright red flowers surrounded by striations of color that undulate across the pictorial frame. Calandra likens her process to automatism, allowing intuition to guide brush strokes across her canvases and drawing surfaces. Using photographs as a visual springboard to trigger personal memories, she listens to music as she paints, allowing sounds and vibrations to shape the resulting images. The artist will additionally hand embellish the edition by adding two additional zinnia flowers, each placed in a unique position, on each print.

Maria Calandra
Time of The Zinnia, 2023
Archival pigment print
24 x 21.25 inches

Limited edition of 15 with 5AP + 1PP
Hand-embellished, signed and numbered by the artist

ART FOR CHANGE will donate 5% of the purchase price, up to $15,000, of each limited edition print sold towards the Alliance to help bolster its mission to sustain, restore and advance Prospect Park to benefit the diverse communities it serves. In keeping with all of our releases, all artists will receive 50% of the net proceeds from each print sale.

“My Pop grew up in Bay Ridge, and would tell me countless stories of his adventures in Brooklyn, including his summertime treks to swim in the Prospect Park pool during the 1950s. This is where my interest began; the park seemed bigger than life. When I moved to Brooklyn seventeen years ago, I would use it as my refuge. Prospect Park—buzzing alive with energy from each person, flora, and fauna—is an integral and important part of Brooklyn’s community. I want to give it all the support that I can, as it has given me so much inspiration.”

Maria Calandra, Time of the Zinnia, 2023; Hand-Embellished, Signed and Numbered Limited Edition Print