Maria Peñil Cobo

Mixed Media Artist

Maria is a Spanish mixed media artist born in San Vicente de la Barquera, a small fishing village by the Atlantic coast. In 2001, Maria moved to Madrid to study Fine Arts at the University Complutense, where she also completed her Masters in Art Education.

Maria mainly works with natural media, such as hemp, bees wax, wood, branches, thread and fabrics. She is adept at wood carving and sculpture and her main source of inspiration is the natural world. Peñil creates works related to patterns and structures found in nature, organic and primitive shapes that make the observer uncomfortable and warm at the same time.

Maria moved to Beverly, MA in 2010 and soon after met Memo in 2011. Together, they have been exploring making living art with bacteria grown on agar ever since.

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Bacterial Art

Selected Works