Between worlds with Maria Owens

16 Jul 2025

On now until 26 July 2025 at Railway Street Gallery + Studios, between worlds brings Danish artist Maria Owens’ latest body of work to the public. This exhibition is a deeply personal and reflective series painted in Resene colours.

Inspired by memory and intuition, Maria’s abstract works explore line, shape and colour through a mindful, spontaneous process. “Forgetfulness has become a quiet companion in my life lately,” she says. “Perhaps it’s the fog of menopause I’ve stepped into. This shift made me wonder: what can I do with this growing sense of mental blur? Alongside the usual things we women try to ease the transition, I discovered that anchoring myself in memory – revisiting moments from the past – helps me hold onto what otherwise begins to slip away.”

Her new collection revisits moments from the past. Small, vivid memories that have shaped her sense of self. A trip to Denmark last year was the catalyst, transporting her back to her teenage years and sparking a series of works on paper that reflect on identity and the echoes of time.

Maria’s painting, By the Beach, is painted in a mix of Resene Resolution Blue, Resene Guru, Resene Brown Pod and Resene Olive Green.

A few meaningful questions underpin Maria’s work: What are my earliest memories? What do these flickers of the past say about me? Am I still defined by my past, and how have these experiences coloured my life?

“Shortly after I was born we moved to Spain and I was named Maria. We lived there until I was six, and though the memories are scattered and fragmented, they feel foundational to who I am. What I remember most are not full stories, but colours, sounds, fleeting moments – a flash of sunlight, a texture, a feeling. Some of these may have been shaped by stories told to me, others seem to exist only in my mind, but they remain vivid and true to me.

Out the Backdoor is painted in the uplifting hues of Resene Merlot, Resene Courage, Resene Colour Me Pink, Resene Brown Pod, Resene Guru and Resene Mai Tai.

“Each painting in this series is connected to a feeling, a memory, or a fleeting impression that shaped me. For example, Going My Own Way comes from a moment in Fuengirola. After eating tapas in a dimly lit restaurant, filled with Spanish tunes, we went for a stroll in the busy streets. I refused to hold hands, and wanted to go a different way, they called for me to come, but suddenly I was gone, walking confidently in my blue dress among the crowds in a different direction.

“This moment has stayed with me – it tells me something about who I was and still am: independent, stubborn, curious. I take risks, I play, I explore, I enjoy my own company. The layers in my paintings reflect that. They tell stories of risk and failure, but also of persistence.

“Even when something doesn’t work, it becomes another layer in the story – a necessary step in the journey.”

Maria’s work, titled Those Days, is painted in Resene Cinnamon, Resene Mai Tai, Resene Turbo, Resene Planter, Resene Toorak and Resene Courage.

Maria enjoys mixing her own colours, often starting with Resene testpots and blending them into unique, layered hues. She finds the testpots more economical and environmentally friendly than traditional tubes, with less waste and easy recycling through Resene. Their affordability and longevity give her the freedom to experiment, encouraging a process of adding, removing and building up layers as each abstract painting takes shape.

With bold gestures, layered colour blocking and a sense of immediacy, each piece invites viewers to slow down and feel their way through. Maria’s work has also been exhibited at the Upstairs Gallery in Titirangi, Auckland Art Show and Waitākere Open Studios.

And just when you thought this body of work couldn’t get any better, a portion of every painting sold from between worlds also goes toward planting native trees in Aotearoa through Trees That Count.

Make sure to head along to see Maria’s art, and to see more of her work, visit https://www.mariaowensart.com/. 

Exhibition:

Railway Street Gallery + Studio 
On now until Saturday 26th of July 2025
Wed – Sat 10-4pm 
8 Railway Street, Newmarket, Auckland.

Published: 16 Jul 2025