Maria Matos – Nocturnal Creatures
Maria Matos
– Nocturnal Creatures for FreeSpirit Fabrics
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Nocturnal Creatures is a brand new collection of textiles featuring the exquisite artwork of my Portuguese artist Maria Matos.
This brand new collection, curated by FreeSpirit Fabrics, is a masterful showcase of Maria’s hand-painted watercolours and will be available to customers in 2025. Featuring bright, jewel colours, delicate florals and, moths and beetles of all shapes and sizes!
“This collection is inspired by the mysteries of nocturnal gardens and the insects and flowers that inhabit them. The color palette reflects deep, dark tones, nocturnal blues, and intense blacks, with touches of gold and red. The textures hint at the delicacy of insect wings and the intertwining of branches and flowers.”
– FREESPIRIT FABRICS
Maria Matos is an illustrator working in watercolour, inspired by the golden age of illustration, late 19th to the beginning of the 20th century. Her illustrations establish a bridge between this heritage and a more delicate, feminine and contemporary personal approach.
All of Maria’s artwork is hand-painted in watercolour using a tiny brush. She works on both small artworks and large-scale commissions with an exceptional eye for detail.
Recurring themes are the representation of female figures in a fantastic universe, strongly inspired by traditional fairy tales, framed with fauna, flora with complex and detailed patterns.
“My style is defined by my preferences in painting and literary references, namely picture books of fairy tales.”
– MARIA MATOS
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Accompanying the nocturnal creatures is a set of bold florals, evoking a glowing night garden. I love the dream-like feel of this collection!
I’ve been drawing since I was a child. I remember always carrying pencils and paper with me everywhere. It was always something I excelled at and was known for. Despite that, I didn’t think of it as a career, I didn’t even know anyone who did it as a profession and was successful. I tried the rational path and changed course in high school, but then I realized that drawing and art was all I wanted to do. Today I recognize that more than a choice is a way of seeing the world, more than technical skills, it is my sensitivity that makes me a visual artist.
– MARIA MATOS
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Maria Matos’s Nocturnal Creatures collection by FreeSpirit Fabrics will be available from distributors worldwide and ships in August 2025.
