About Victoria Wundram | Maui Artist

One cannot be on Maui long without being affected by the island’s tropical environment; the sun, the ocean, the mountains, the flowers, the rainbows, the birds, the sea life, and most of all the people. Like other artists on Maui, I feel compelled to share these impressions with all who visit here and want to take a little part of Maui home with them.

​As a child, and later as a young adult, I had the opportunity to live in many places; the Pacific Northwest, where I was born and have many of my roots, Japan, England, and several areas on the Mainland. As a wife and mother, I often visited Maui on family vacations. Several years ago, my husband and I decided to make Maui our home.

Fate and fortune led us back to the mainland for four years during which time we lived in the Los Angeles area. There, I continued my exploration into various media. I wrote and illustrated a children’s book, “The Stick”, a story of a young girl who gets lost on a wilderness trail on an island in the Puget Sound. She learns from magical animals she encounters and finds her connection to her ancestors. The book is available on Amazon.

I continued painting with oil and acrylic, working with pastels and colored pencil, creating mixed media constructions, and jewelry making, and then took several classes in advanced watercolor at the Otis College of Art and Design. After only a few completed paintings, I found that I love this medium! I love the combination of control and abandonment. Carefully painting clear water on a detailed space and then dropping pigment and watching it move and settle into the thick, textured paper is wonderful! I love the bright clear colors that can be captured with watercolor.

I returned to Maui and became a full time, working artist. I began showing my art in several galleries and at art fairs. I became a member of the board for Lahaina Arts Society.

I woke each morning to see the ocean – sometimes the bluest blue, sometimes misted with clouds and sparked with rainbows. The air was warm and scented with flowers. The birds sang and the roosters strutted and shouted greetings to the day.

And then Covid came and the world paused. The galleries closed and the art fairs took a break.

After much thought and with many tears, I packed up my art supplies and memories and moved back to my origins – Oregon. The need to be closer to family was most important.

Almost three years have passed. Though I have no regrets, Maui is still part of my artist’s soul. I still paint the flowers and landscapes and animals that inspired me there, now from memories and my photographs. I am adding images from my new life as well.

I’ll be posting new paintings as they are completed. I am still inspired by color and joy and it’s always my goal to express that in my art. And that’s what I hope to share with you!