Maria grew up in Holland, Her family had five people, seven bicycles and a Citroën Deux Cheveaux, which is basically an umbrella on four wheels, even though it survived many family camping trips to France. Their house had one bathroom, their supermarket sold one type of peanut butter, her bedroom was the size of an American closet and their fridge was the size of an American cereal box. Well, almost…
This is probably why her art and stories stories don't take up a lot of space. She tries to bring a simplicity to them that was so familiar growing up in Holland. Maria has illustrated two books in Holland and her illustrations can be seen as of Spring 2007 in The List (Annick Press) and More Pocket Poems (Dutton). In 2008, BLOOM! will be published, a little book she has written and illustrated.

Today, Maria and her husband Peter live in a 99-year old house in San Francisco with creaky floors and a tiny bathroom. For more information, please visit www.mariavanlieshout.com