About
Born in New Jersey, Ma’ayan has exhibited in the US for the past 20 years and in Israel for the last ten years. She began studying painting at the age of eight. At 17 she entered the doors of the Art Students League in NYC, where she spent many years studying, assisting teachers, and honing her skills. She later moved on to The National Academy in NYC. It was her time studying at The Marchutz School in France which was transformative for her, as it was during this time that Ma'ayan's unique style began to emerge. Ma’ayan holds a BFA from the School of Visual Arts, NYC. From 2005 - 2009 she taught ‘expressionism and the painterly approach’ at the Montclair Art Museum’s Yard School, in Montclair, NJ. In 2013, she was gifted a grant from the Israeli government claiming her 'a unique and exceptional talent'. She has exhibited internationally in numerous solo and group exhibitions and has been invited to exhibit in the Miami, Florence, and Jerusalem Biennales. Ma'ayan's work is in numerous corporate and private collections worldwide. She lives and works in Jerusalem, Israel, and New York.
An abstract expressionist action painter, Ma'ayan seeks to create a sense experience in her work, that depicts a transcendent reality, where the painting and viewer fuse together. Large in scale, the viewer is invited into the visual universe of the painting. With impulsive applications of vibrant primal color, bold energetic brushstrokes and varied opacity, the dialogue between Ma’ayan and the oil paint begins. Tension between strokes is pushed and the exploration of 3D in a 2D environment takes place where movement, depth, and mystery are revealed.
Reflections on her work:
"stupendous" — Grace Knowlton, Sculptor, upon viewing, In the Beginning
"....The colors and angles of brushwork, the secret places within the canvas reveal a craftsmanship that only a fine artist of Ma'ayan's stature could achieve. These are paintings that demonstrate their dimensions the more you look at them..." — American Art Collector magazine review
"In the light whisper of a moment an emergent raw energy unleashes, led by fluidity and momentum, calling us to enter into the unknown; beyond promise or surmise. Dashes of depth, carried by textured paint, guide an undistinguishable path through layers of memory and abstracted perception while opening an intimate expression of the ineffable essence of existence...."
— Linda Sim Solay, Installation Artist/Photographer/Curator
“I am always excited by the newness I discover each time I look at Ma’ayan’s painting. It is a tour de force that brightens my home and my life.”
— BF Meyer, NY, collector