About Mercedes Maza
Mercedes Maza was born in Barranquilla, Colombia to parents, Alba and Rafael Maza. Her father worked for the United Nations and so her youth was spent traveling the world. From Africa, Central & South America, the United States and Europe, Maza was exposed to numerous cultures and languages. Her artistic expressions reflect the influence of these varied cultures, thus creating the uniqueness of her work.
Mercedes first remembers being curious about painting at the age of 5. A family friend was an artist and during a visit to their home, the young Mercedes was captivated at how a “pretty picture” emerged on an empty piece of paper.
Years 7 to10, Maza spent exploring the African jungle as her family was situated in Congo. Their next move was to be Bolivia and so not to interrupt their daughter's studies, Mercedes was sent to Presentation of Mary Academy, a boarding school in Hudson, New Hampshire. To this day, Mercedes recalls how rebellious she was having to go away to school. “I did not want to be there. I was 'Miss Popular' one day and then the next thing I knew I was with the Nuns. My salvation was the art courses offered … I just buried myself in them.” She left after her freshman year, but she did not leave empty handed. Mercedes had become intrigued with watercolors. “The fluidity caught my attention.”
In 1975 Maza moved to the island of Kauai in the Hawaiian Islands. It was there that her journey as an artist 
blossomed. Maza was about to become a mother and at the same time met her mentor Waihang Lai AWS at the Kauai College. He taught her the technique of Chinese brush painting. “It is the strokes in this technique that give me the discipline, but it was the birth of my son that gave my work soul.” Mercedes also studied at the School of Visual Arts in New York City and most recently spent nine months studying the classical styles in Europe.
Mercedes Maza is recognized in Hawaii as one of its foremost watercolorists. Her work hangs in collections nationwide to include patrons such as Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, Lional Richie, Buffy Saint Marie and Taj Mahal. Her gallery “Art and Soul” is located in the heart of Hanalei 's Ching Young Village on the North Shore of Kauai.
"I thank God that I am able to share the beauty of His creation"
