About The Artist
Maia Faith Hadaway is a figurative artist and visual storyteller based in Los Angeles, CA with a B.A. in Art from the University of California, Los Angeles (2024).
Maia (pronounced my-ee-uh), means midwife, nurse, or mother, and my parents say I was appropriately named—I’m a nurturer. I strive to cultivate spaces where people not only find happiness but also a sense of belonging. Drawing from personal experiences and observations, I give voice to those who constantly feel excluded by society, media, and history, amplifying their stories to spread love and empathy far and wide. Now, as a new mother to a baby boy, my artistic journey takes on an even greater urgency–to contribute to a world where he not only feels safe and accepted but also embraces the diversity of humanity.
Growing up in the Chicagoland area, with my mom from Jamaica and dad from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, I learned the value of embracing diversity early on. Inspired by this background, I advocate strongly for second chances and against prejudice, a mindset reinforced by works like Bryan Stevenson's Just Mercy and the teachings of Colossians 3:13-14.
What I find most beautiful about the art of humanity is the conversation between intricate differences and universal similarities. In the face of diverse appearances and cultural backgrounds, we forget all these differences are rooted in similarity. Different eye colors, but we all have eyes. Different birthplaces, but we all generated a language to communicate the same things (throughout all of time, no less). We are all pieces, blessed with our own personal stories that together communicate a greater one. As I connect my piece with others, each subject becomes a self portrait–diving into their experience, painting what couldn’t be seen but felt.
Through the transience of my work, the viewer anticipates individuals beyond the single moment–opening a window for greater resonance as we ourselves are far more than a moment in time.
Though conditioned to stress differences, there’s no doubt we feel the same.
Loss fills us with sorrowful blues. Laughter paints our blues yellow. And best of all, love yields strength to render our raging reds into a rhythmic, beating heart.
This truth illustrates the great capacity in us all to empathize. In our most emotional moments when we let go and just feel, for the time being, nothing else in the world even matters. These moments connect us.
I highlight the overlooked as even small acts of love are spotlight moments that bring us from darkness. Vibrant marks come alive as though the spirits of the subjects are emerging through the purity of the moment. When we live in love, we transform into the vibrant masterpieces we were meant to be. Each moment pages from a love letter to Love itself, each piece merely a glimpse into the potential for a life filled with love.
"Make allowance for each other's faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony." Colossians 3:13-14