Maureen Brusa Zappellini

Email: mbzmetals724@gmail.com

Artist Bio / Artist Statement: I am a graduate of Tufts University, the Boston Museum School (SMFA), and a 1989 alumnus of the Skowhegan School of painting and sculpture. In 1992, I embarked on a cross-country journey and relocated to Bisbee, which was charming but too remote for my liking, so I eventually moved to Tucson, where I eventually met my husband. Between 1997 and 2000, I resided and studied in my husband’s home town, Florence, Italy. We returned to Tucson in late 2000, raised our family and pursued our careers.

I started working as a jeweler in 1986, and have enjoyed the medium of metalsmithing for decades. However, I’ve always had problems with my back and a pinched nerve became a problem, which has rendered sitting at my workbench painfully challenging. Consequently, I made the decision to shift my focus and return to my original passion of painting.

As an artist living with chronic pain, I create from a place of observation, reflection, and personal experience. My work draws from local inspirations, memories, and the beauty in everyday life. Through painting, I enter a meditative state where pain and time dissolve, allowing for a deep, meaningful connection to the act of creation. Art is both my coping mechanism and my compass—when I’m immersed in the process, I know I’m where I’m meant to be