Maria Deely is a self-taught colored pencil artist and founder of Deely Drawings LLC, who began building her art business at just 19. Working entirely in colored pencil, and famously never using black, she layers shade upon shade to capture the world’s unexpected bursts of color, from Parisian cafe awnings to Alaskan harbor mornings.
Diagnosed with the chronic illness cyclic vomiting syndrome (CVS), Deely creates from within the limits her body sets, drawing on years spent in hospital beds and at home. Her work is a window into the places that hold meaning to her, offering viewers a sense of peace, and a reminder that beauty and chronic pain can exist side by side.