María de Echevarría. I was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on September 8, 1944. In 1969 I moved to the United States and I currently live in the N.Y.C. area.

It's the way to fulfill my need to create peace, energy and beauty.

Some conifer trees that two of my cousins painted. I must have been 10 years old and they were a little older. I admired them for that and I considered myself unable to do the same.

The inspiration comes from different sources: natural landscapes, the arrangements of lines and colors in commercial ads and photos and the patterns created by the weather in the streets. They inspired me because of their beauty, which is sometimes unusual.
Lately, more and more I feel inspired by the silence inside of me. This silence probably puts me in contact with the creative dynamo that lodges in us. Sometimes, with the silence comes a feeling of being that transcends my own life.

A solo exhibit at the United Nations Headquarters in New York in February 1998.

In general, I work better in the morning and during the day than at night. Classical and pop music help the process of creating, but the decisive factor is contact with my inner self.

"I went to see your exhibit, but I like more realistic paintings."

After one of my shows I received this e-mail: "Thank you for the beautiful and spiritual paintings I saw yesterday. The subtle colors and shapes! To me, the feminine, gentle, mysterious and sensual essence of the universe are present in your paintings. I was so inspired that I felt like starting to paint right there..."

Breathe deeply.

Because their art moves me so much, they must be Georgia O'Keeffe, Mark Rothko and Van Gogh. Probably I can't escape a non-intentional influence from them.

The abstract expressionist Mark Rothko, and we'd talk about the most intriguing aspect of life: what we can't see with our physical eyes. I think this pervades his greatest paintings.

The fact that it's not sensitive enough to some new and not-so-new good artists.

I'm optimistic that the Internet will continue to expand the exposure of the arts among the people as well as expand the art market.

I have at least three in mind: the Spaniard Santiago Carbonell, the Argentinian Norma Bessouet and the Japanese Shima Yoshida. The three of them convey an unusual beauty and have impeccable technique.

I don't foresee any substantial change.

The lack of knowledge about myself. That's why it took me so long to realize my passion for painting.

I cannot answer for other artists, but in my case I feel I have to produce my best possible art.

If such a thing happens, I'd like to be remembered as an artist that put the viewer in contact with an intangible reality.