"I grew up taking art for granted. My brother is an unbelievable musician and computer/web site guru, my sister is a high school art teacher and produces awesome ceramics, my mother is still my favorite illustrator and is now working with my father, coming full circle to her first love, sculpture, and my father inspires us all, not just with the power of his work, or his driving intellect and humor, but with his ability to remain contemporary. My parents are still teaching me about art, but more importantly, they illustrate that artists( and good marriages ) ripen with age."

"I am not sure when I will do another collage. I am looking for a challenge... I want to get back to that first crude stage when you are learning a language, and the first mistakes can sometimes be poetry. I have learned so much from collage about pieces of color; the placement, the size... I want to take that knowledge and re-know it with paint.

My first love right now is web design and computer graphics. I love having a project where I can actually create the graphic. Drawing with the computer is fun and I always learn something new. I also love to teach computer skills. I do it from a "problem solving" perspective and try and make the computer a simple tool for clients that they control with ease and confidence. It is very empowering for most people and I take great pride in their progresss."

Maria Irrera