An Artist's Journey

My name is Maria de Rojas-Scott. I was born in Matanzas, Cuba over 65 years ago. My mother, brother and sister immigrated to the United States when I was nine years old. My dad remained in Cuba as a political prisoner. He was released from Castro’s torturous prison camps after 18 years of incarceration. My mother created a wonderful life for us in Macon, GA.

Art has always played an important part in my life. When I started school in U.S., I knew no English. There were no other Spanish speaking children in the school beside my brother, sister, and I. Needless to say, I spent an entire year of isolation in the classroom. I sat through fourth grade not understanding a word the teacher said, and she made no attempt to interact with me. I was invisible. It was through art that I began to come alive and feel more a part of the whole. My fifth-grade teacher, Mrs. Roundtree, saw me. I will never forget her. In her class I could participate with my classmates as we worked with art materials and created magnificent “masterpieces”. I learned how to express myself through art and discovered my love for paints. Whether watercolors or acrylics, I delved in and explored their possibilities; I was too messy for oils!

I am a self-taught artist, or perhaps I should say that I am a You Tube taught artist. I learned the basics of painting in my high school art classes taught by a wonderful art teacher, Mrs. Deutch. The rest I have learned through You Tube. A thanks to all the many wonderful artists who give freely of their talent and knowledge to help new emerging artists.  

By the 1980’s and 90’s I was a mother of 2 plus 4 step-kids. I began to paint on furniture and took up the trump ‘o ‘le craze. I painted furniture, walls, and countertops. My friends and relatives began to commission me to paint murals on their walls and furniture.  I began to think about the possibility of starting an art business. But with six children and a full-time job as a teacher, life had other plans.

Once our last child left home for college, my husband and I moved to Tybee Island, GA. A few years later, my mom, whom I adored, passed away. This changed me. I was no longer able to sit in silence lest the pain of the loss overtake me. Even when I slept, I had to have someone talking in my ear. Thank God for headphones. 

It was a few years later, that simply by chance I ran across a You Tube video offering a class on painting florals in a journal. Once again, my world was shaken. The simple lesson by Suzanne Allard changed my life. I began to paint again. At first, sitting at the kitchen table with just a few tubes of paint, a few brushes, and a jar of water I began to paint. It was contained, I could manage that. Then once again, I ran across a You Tube Video by Dave Jansen as he challenged everyone to paint 30 roses in 30 days. I became obsessed. Painting was all I could think about. I began to get up at 4:30 in the morning, so I could have enough time to paint before I left for school every morning. I have been doing that for the last three years. I paint every day. Dave Jansen became my guru. My goal is to one day paint a rose as beautifully as he does.  One day, I found myself painting in silence. For the first time in 14 years, I was able to sit in silence. To sit with my paints, the household asleep, and express what I was feeling - Not the sorrow of losing my mom; but rather, the joy that I feel when I look at nature, when I see the ocean, the clouds, a flower, or bird. So that is what I paint the beauty of nature and the beauty of relationships in our simple everyday lives. I am inspired by the world around me, and the natural beauty of the low country of Georgia. Dave Jansen continues to guide my art expressed in an impressionistic style reaching towards realism.