Welcome to my site

Here you will find original artworks I have made over the years.

I am a self-taught artist and indie author. I used to work for the museum shop at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, and spent most of my lunch breaks visiting the art. I am still learning, as Michelangelo said. I work almost strictly in oil. My usual field of endeavor is in Symbolism. I pair western mythological figures with symbols from eastern spiritual traditions, usually Buddhist, or I pair New World symbols and figures with Old World ones. Hence, you will find a Gandharan Buddhist inspired Apollo or a Native American re-imagined Artemis with her wolf and the Spirit Bear. In 2023, I began to have Fun With Color by making abstract artworks, a series I call Beautiful Chaos. Over the last couple of years I began having fun with art by making whimsical collages with my deep archive of art calendars. All of the collages here are original works, not prints. They have been sealed to better protect them.

Also, free shipping within the US only. If you live outside the US, contact me at mariaara@box5595.bluehost.com about shipping costs.

Thank you for visiting.

Maria Aragon

Otero County, NM.

The Fantasy novels I have written:

I am an ‘Indie’ author. Since the age of 18 I have been populating my imaginary world and telling stories about the people there.

These novels all occur on the same imaginary planet within this timeline:

Fernare Araldo PT 1.- The Fateful Day/Fernare Araldo PT 2.- The Inevitable

These are epics involving three kingdoms, one of which is an Amazonian realm determined to keep their independence.

A Good Villain – is a novella, a fairy tale of sorts in which a bandit king kidnaps an heiress so he can get much needed roof money for his castle hideout. The heiress discovers who the real villain is, and it ain’t the bandit king.

The Wandering Princes – Six Adventures – follows six young men, the ‘princes’ of this adventure novel, as they seek out their destinies in the Land of Many Kingdoms. It was inspired by Disney’s Snow White/Cinderella/Sleeping Beauty, in which I was wondering why those princes didn’t have real work to do, instead of hanging around flirting with the heroines. Each adventure is different, having different challenges, settings, and even moods.

Nuneau – is a fantasy adventure following Princess Viola, a Faerie Sorceress on her way to a family reunion with her sisters in Nuneau, and the friends she makes and the adventure she has along the way.

Rockwell And Spurlock – is a more madcap adventure, following two incorrigible characters and their long suffering boss Overlord.

Gathlon – is the first sequel to Fernare Araldo. It takes place 20 years later when the entire northern lands are facing real danger from a tyrannical king from the south.

Caermon – is the second sequel to Fernare Araldo. It takes place right after the events of Gathlon. It covers the desperate final days of the invasion in the north.

Marlorat is the third sequel to Fernare Araldo, a kind of postscript tale to Gathlon and Caermon, but lighter and focused more on the romantic fates of the survivors from the previous two novels.

Naldo and the Castle of Necessary Evil – takes place a couple of years after the events of The Wandering Princes, Nuneau, and Rockwell and Spurlock. Teenager Vashkie Naldo swears an oath on her sister’s grave to rescue two kidnapped royal children, whom her sister died trying to protect. It is something of a coming of age tale in which Naldo observes those around her and dedicates herself to living beyond her mission.

These novels are interconnected. The FERNARE ARALDO two part epic precedes the novels GATHLON, CAERMON, and MARLORAT. A GOOD VILLAIN precedes THE WANDERING PRINCES. NUNEAU has connections to ROCKWELL AND SPURLOCK and there are crossovers between all of them and the newest fantasy adventure NALDO AND THE CASTLE OF NECESSARY EVIL.

There are four fantasy novels that are set in our world:

The Jinniyah – is about what happens when a history writer discovers a local history professor is a LOT older than he seems and then meets what has kept him alive for five centuries. It is a supernatural fantasy.

Deus Ex Machina – A Divine Comedy – Despite themselves, Apollo, Aphrodite, Mars (Ares), Athena, Hermes, and Medusa attempt to help Stewart Dunk get the life he should have had all along with his long lost girlfriend.

The Hunter of the Dead (and The Kiss of Persephone) – is about the relationship between Hades and Persephone BEYOND the myth we all know. It follows them over the centuries as Hades and his allies hunt a demonic spirit turned vampyr in our world. It is epic and romantic.

The (after) Life of Stephen Fleet – is about what happens when two biographers start digging into the mystery surrounding the life of 19th century American artist Stephen Fleet. Meanwhile, his ghost is following them around and coming to terms with what happened to him in his life. It is a supernatural drama involving spirits and an enchanted place called Maiden Falls in England.

Deus Ex Machina: A Divine Comedy and The Hunter of the Dead involve figures from mythology: Apollo, Athena, Aphrodite, Mars (Ares), Hermes, Medusa in Deus Ex Machina; Hades, Persephone and a whole cast of other divinities in The Hunter of the Dead.

Hardback and paperback editions of these novels can be found currently at Lulu.com. Stephen Fleet’s hardback is strictly via amazon.com, as are all editions of Naldo.

I also make prints of my artwork and other products available via https://www.zazzle.com/store/mariaaragon