I’m Maria — the artist behind Mariflo Designs, a small studio based in London where I make soft watercolour paintings inspired by nature, quiet walks, and the kind of details most people walk straight past.

I came to painting late, and by a route I never planned. I studied engineering in my home country, built a life there, then in my mid-thirties, packed up everything and moved to the UK with my husband and two boys. New country, new language in daily life, new start. I retrained as a bookkeeper, found my feet, and got on with things — the way you do.

Then, a few years ago, during a difficult period, I picked up a brush. I’m not sure I expected much from it. What I found was that painting made me slow down, look more carefully, and feel calmer than I had in a long time. It became a habit before it became anything else.

Not long after, I wandered into a local community gallery by chance. The artists there encouraged me to share my work, and I ended up exhibiting alongside them in several group shows — and selling. That surprised me more than anyone.

Most of my paintings begin on a walk. I go out with Sylas, my German Shepherd, who has the particular talent of stepping into every photograph I try to take of a flower or leaf and posing as if he owns the frame. (The photo on this page is proof.) I take pictures of things that stop me , and then I come home and paint them.

Life is not always simple. I travel back and forth to care for my unwell father, and some periods are harder than others. Painting has become the thread I return to — not as an escape, but as a way of staying present and finding beauty in ordinary things, even when the bigger picture feels uncertain.

Mariflo Designs is the place where all of that comes together: the walks, the light, the dog in the frame, the small wild things that deserve more attention than they usually get. I make original paintings, fine art prints, and greeting cards — all designed to bring a little of that quietness into your home.

Thank you for being here. It means more than I can say.