PHOTOS : keith Diamond Makeup : Shannon Elliot Hair: Jami Symons Jewelry : Maria Curcic Hats: Maria Curcic :Le Chapeau Rouge Model: Sabrina Traux location: Buhran gallery

Le Chapeau

Maria Curcic doesn’t restrict her artistic abilities to simply just one medium. The French born Canadian artist’s versatile occupations include milliner, interior designer, painter, and deejay. Her interest in art began at an early age, one which she continued at the Alberta College of Art where she studied drawing. She went on to study Interior Design at Mount Royal College, and in 1994, after freelance designing for a number of Clagary based hat boutiques, she opened Le Chapeau Rouge (The Red Hat) as a small retail outlet. A year later, the store moved to a more central location in Calgary and then began to wholesale to various retailers. Maria’s hats are stylistically varied and whimsical, as are her shapes, many of which exhibit a retro early 20 th century feel. Florals are a favorite accent and are often seen either as embellishments or in the printed fabrics she uses for her hats.

Maria’s paintings, on the other hand, take a more serious tone. Characterizing her work as “abstract”, she explores contradictions such as the organic and inorganic, life and death, and ultimately presents her own perceptions of reality. Bright, vivid colors capture and juxtapose a cacophony of images. Her more abstract paintings fluidly blend together various shades and textures, oftentimes in swirling patterns. Like her hats, her artwork too is available at purchase and is also in the collection of the Alberta Foundation for Arts.

Her degree in interior design has enabled her to have a successful career in that field as well. With over 10 years of experience, she has worked on both commercial and residential projects with a special focus in furniture, color theory, and space planning.

Since 1989, Maria has also worked as a deejay under the name “Mary Flavors”, an apt title when one considers her many endeavors. A music collector since the age of 12, she has performed at a number of venues and events around Calgary. In addition, Maria regularly presents shows featuring her own hats and artwork, and donates a portion of the proceeds towards the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.

For more info, please visit www.mariacurcic.com.

- Ann John