Fun, vibrant, relatable, and hilarious—these are just a few words that come to mind when exploring María Jesús Contreras’s illustrations.
Her distinct style often features animals in human-like scenarios or dives into the completely absurd and unexpected. When asked to describe her work, María uses words like childlike, saturated, colorful, and animal-themed—qualities many people can connect with. But, as she notes, “On a second reading, you can see that almost every scene contains references to both adulthood and childhood and how difficult it is to face life—but always with a good dose of humor.”
More info: Instagram | mariajesuscontreras.com
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In an interview with Bored Panda, María told us more about herself.
“Well, I grew up on a farm in southern Chile, where I didn’t have many artistic references and lived in a city with no galleries or anything like that, and a lot of rain. So, I spent a lot of time indoors drawing as a hobby. My family has nothing to do with this world, and while they encouraged my drawing, it was only as a pastime—until I finally decided to fully dedicate myself to it.”
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She also shared what initially drew her to the world of artistry.
María wrote: “If I have to be very honest, when I was little, I didn’t have cable TV, which meant I only had access to broadcast television. That meant the animated shows I watched were quite delayed compared to the rest of the world. In my free time, I would draw those cartoons and the nature around me. What those two things had in common was that both worlds—the southern Chilean landscape and ‘90s television—were full of color and saturation, which I believe is reflected in my work today.”
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The creative process takes many forms and María shared hers.
“The first thing that comes to my mind is a struggle or problem I’m facing in general and how that could be resolved in the animal world or the world of objects in a ridiculous way. It ends up being a way to sublimate my problem and laugh at it from a different perspective.”
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As for the audience's takeaway, María wrote: “I wouldn’t want to manipulate what people take away from my work or not. I just try to have a good time doing what I love, and what I post on my social media isn’t necessarily the same as what I work on, which is usually more editorial. So, I simply hope it gives people a little break from their routine and scrolling, makes them smile, laugh, or relate to it—and with that, I already feel rewarded.”
Lastly, María added: “Regardless of the fact that we are living in a dystopian universe and through the digital world, let’s try to spend enough time outside.”
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