| Andrew Dickinson, The CyberArtist Review "In nature, one of the most ancient forms is the egg. Through the centuries, an egg has represented fertility, a miracle, the symbol of new life. To enhance the magical power of eggs, ancient peoples painted them with tribal symbols. Today, Maria Radnoti has captured this ancient and unique art form, the spheorama. Working on a spheroid geometric form, the challenge is to bring out the depth, the feel of distance, in spite of the compound curves of the egg and the strict requirements of perspective. Maria's spheoramas have achieved an impeccable realism because of her mastery of depth and perspective, regardless of the viewing angle of this remarkable art form. Early in her career, Maria studied the paintings of the old masters, capturing their special moods and transferring them intact from flat to spheroid. She loves American history, and presently she is doing research on the Civil War. Her spheorama painting of Gettysburg is one of her favorite scenes. It is easy to pass an hour slowly turning one of her eggs. The exacting detail allows the viewer to grow lost in the grimace of a soldier, the distant mountains in a haze, or the flutter of an eyelash. The achievement of Maria's painstaking work with painting needles and magnifying glasses is an art form that doesn't grow old - there is always a lifelike figure in the background that is missed on the first viewing, the detail of a uniform that was overlooked. Maria's eggs are more than conversation pieces, they are a study in realism on a complex surface that breeds a different conversation with each viewing." |
Misty Yellowstone, Art Critic Wow! Cool eggs! Look at them! The first time I saw the Christmas egg, I thought it was a decal. Luckily, Maria told me it was all hand painted. At least I wasn't the only one. People are always insisting that Maria tell them what secret she used to paste the picture on the egg. Let me tell you, she has a lot of patience. She carefully explains that every single thing on those eggs is hand painted - no matter how complicated - no matter how tiny - no matter what style. Maria paints accurately and beautifully |