Maria Grimstad Tollefsen is a Norwegian artist who loves to play with shapes and colors. When she was a little girl she discovered the magical world of art, colors and the immense imagination she could drown herself in, hour after hour. She grew up in a family who loves to travel. Discovering the world, exploring different cultures and meeting people has thus become one of her favorite things in life, and a great source of inspiration for her art. She spent her teenage years in the Philippines, following a move to Sydney, Australia. These years impacted her worldview, perspective of life, and awareness of different people, which she takes with her in everything she does. She has now settled down on a farm in the countryside of Norway, where she spends hours in her studio painting, as well as working as a project manager in the arts and creative field. She finds great inspiration in her peaceful and close to nature surroundings, as well as her continued travels around the world. Ideas and motives find their way to her through dreams, visions, experiences and surroundings. Her art reflects her childlike wonder, eagerness to discover, curiosity and view of the world. The artistic process differs for each work, as she goes on a new journey with each piece. Sometimes she has a clear vision as a starting point, other times the motive finds her as she creates. She has always stayed true to her acrylic paintings, which has followed her though life, but has also started experimenting with digital art. She has found her artistic identity in strong colors, geometric figures and abstract motives, however you can also find figurative motives in her portfolio. To not be locked in by a strict visual identity is important to her, as she doesn’t want to limit herself to one path. She craves to spread joy with her art, give a sense of playfulness, childlike wonder and a message of hope in what she views as a lost world. One thing that she learned though her travels is that art is a language that knows no bonds, which makes it all the more powerful.