MY CREATIVE PRACTICE
My current body of work is a love letter to my adolescent self. Beneath the layers of each piece, I have begun to reparent her by writing out the things she needed to hear. Layer upon layer, I begin to heal myself as I work through the trauma of my past while learning to love myself with greater conviction in the present.
Maija Kellner-Rode is a painter and illustrator. Growing up in Alaska, Momma Earth became her main muse from a young age. Living in such a wild and untamed place gave her an undeniable appreciation and love for our planet and the deep knowing that our Earth heals. As spring emerges from the winter’s thaw, Maija’s artwork inspires the felt sense that hope is on the horizon. Brush strokes birth new life full of color and texture.
EDUCATION + EXPERIENCE
BA in sociology & minor in art | Western Oregon University | Graduated 2013
Expressive Arts and Somatic Therapy program | Tamalpa Institute | 2021 - Present
Artist Residencies
Patrica Clark Studio at Scalehouse Gallery | April - September 2023 | Bend, Oregon
Solo Shows
Spring Awakening | The Annex Gallery at Scalehouse | May & June 2024 | Bend, Oregon
Gathered Wares Show | October 2023 | Bend, Oregon
June Salon | November 2023 - Present | Bend, Oregon
Group Shows
Art Project Paia | November & December 2024 | Paia, Maui, Hawaii
The Other Art Fair | September 2024 | The Barker Hanger, Los Angeles, California
I am the owner and designer behind Maija Rebecca Hand Drawn, a paper goods and design company based in Bend, Oregon.
You can shop and view my art in person at my studio inside of Gathered Wares in the Old Iron Works Arts District at 50 SE Scott St #2, Bend, OR 97702
In collaboration with Claire Brislin, I am starting a non-profit community arts center called, The Open Arts Center. The OAC will provide after school programming, self-directed & process driven learning, and community-sourced mentorship and apprenticeship opportunities for youth. This space will also be a hub for working artists and creative community involvement.
Each piece is a journey through the tangled underbrush of existence, where light filters through shadows, seeking clarity. As she creates, Maija sifts through the sediment of the human experience, unearthing the raw, unspoken truths that lie buried beneath layers of forgotten seasons.
Maija’s creative practice is rooted in the somatic and intuitive realm. Where mindfulness, messiness and the body intersect. There is no right or wrong. Using layers of color and texture, scribbling over and etching away; she explores her mental, emotional, physical states. The past, present and future collide as she scrubs away at layers of paint previously applied while reapplying fresh coats of possibility. Constantly aware of her response from the previous artistic choice. Maija strives to create interdependent art work, each choice dependent on the next to create a whole.
Maija intuitively illustrates botanical inspired imagery on top of layers of paint. She then fills in the negative space to reveal the subject matter emerging through, creating a sense of clarity among the chaos living beneath the surface. Without erasing her line work, the viewer is able to see and feel the process she went through to get to the final work of art
I am here to hold myself and others with loving compassion. I am here to cultivate creative and healing spaces for people, where ideas of diverse thought and action can flourish. I am here to move through the world with creative curiosity and to use my paint brush and pencil as a tool for connection.
I am here to listen and to understand that everything changes with time and that nothing is permanent.
That loss may be the greatest teacher of all and that everything is practice. That vulnerability, grief & pain are necessary for personal development and that playfulness, pleasure & joy are also just as essential.
That truth is a spectrum and is never just black and white. That maintaining movement and dance are fundamental to my wellbeing.
I am here to remember that this moment is a gift to be honored and cherished. That rest, even just for a moment, always comes first.
I am here to live in alignment with our beloved, Momma Earth. That when my hands are in her soil, I am the most calm and at ease in my body. That her food is a gift and is meant to be shared freely. That when I walk amongst her forest, I can breathe deeply and remember what is possible. That when I swim in her cool waters, I am free and I am alive.
That family is sacred and boundaries are necessary in order to thrive. That blood lines run deep in the ancient wisdom of my ancestors. That sisterhood lasts a lifetime and will always be there when I need them.
That choosing to open myself to love is scary and always worth the effort. That the feeling of warm kisses and sweaty hands glued together is comfort. Resting my head into yours, wrapped together as one, is the feeling of home.
That we are all connected, intertwined through secret passage ways, floating along on this wildly beautiful and chaotic planet. We are interdependent, loving, sacred beings just trying to get by.