Maria P. Tuttle is an artist, educator, and writer of color.

I am creative who seeks to inspire, to educate, and to transform through teaching and art-making. I am inspired by the light and color in California’s East Bay landscapes.

About Maria
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My paintings are landscape inspired and express a love of line and color. I offer a variety of original paintings and high-quality prints.

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Carquinez Strait, September
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Carquinez Strait, September
$250.00

ABOUT THE IMAGE

Painted plein air on a hot Sunday afternoon in September, this luminous study captures distant spans dissolving into a hazy late-summer heat. Shifting away from viewing bridges purely as physical barriers, this work embraces them as powerful symbols of triumph and integration within the landscape. Gentle brushwork and warm, sunlit yellows play off cool, atmospheric blues along the strait, offering a hopeful, unified vision of connection over water.

SIZE

  • 8 in x 10 in (Unframed) | Framed: 9 in x 11 in

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

  • Medium: Professional-grade oil paint on archival wood panel

  • Creation Year: 2026

  • Surface Finish: Sealed with Dorland’s Wax Medium for a rich satin sheen and long-term protection against dust and moisture

  • Framing & Display: Framed and ready to hang with pre-installed hardware

  • Authenticity: Signed by the artist on the lower margin

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Strike at the Sugar Mill, Crockett
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Strike at the Sugar Mill, Crockett
$250.00

ABOUT THE IMAGE

Painted on the exact day a workers' strike was unfolding at the Crockett sugar mill, the piece carries deep personal and social resonance—reflected in the jumble of industrial containers crowding the lower foreground. Strong diagonal steel trusses cut across the canvas, balanced by deep, graphic shadows that play against warm, earth-toned hillsides and a crisp, light blue sky.

SIZE

  • 8 in x 10 in (Unframed) | Framed: 9 in x 11 in

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

  • Medium: Professional-grade oil paint on archival wood panel

  • Creation Year: 2026

  • Surface Finish: Sealed with Dorland’s Wax Medium for a rich satin sheen and long-term protection against dust and moisture

  • Framing & Display: Framed and ready to hang with pre-installed hardware

  • Authenticity: Signed by the artist on the lower margin

Read more →
California Rust II
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California Rust II
$300.00

ABOUT THE IMAGE

Capturing the rhythmic sequence of rusted steel arches and massive, sunlit piers, this plein air study highlights the industrial weight of a multi-span bridge structure. Sweeping diagonal perspective drives the eye across the canvas, where rich burnt-orange and deep rust tones contrast brilliantly against soft sky blues, calm water reflections, and a dark, anchored foreground shadow.

SIZE

  • 10 in x 12 in (Unframed) | Framed: 11 in x 13 in

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

  • Medium: Professional-grade oil paint on archival wood panel

  • Creation Year: 2026

  • Surface Finish: Sealed with Dorland’s Wax Medium for a rich satin sheen and long-term protection against dust and moisture

  • Framing & Display: Framed and ready to hang with pre-installed hardware

  • Authenticity: Signed by the artist on the lower margin

Read more →
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Latest on the Blog

My blog is a reflection of my artistic process and my love of the natural world. I write about my inspiration, challenges, and successes. I also share tips and techniques for artists of all levels.

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Blog
Hello, Maria
Hello, Maria

I open my email and find the following inbox note from a mysterious, almost friend, who came to my student show a gazillion years ago and saw a painting that she liked and bought…

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Finding Hope with van Gogh
Finding Hope with van Gogh

Over the course of his life, Vincent van Gogh wrote approximately 900 letters of which several hundreds were to his brother Theo. Here he is writing to Theo from The Hague in early August 1883.

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What I Would Say About Oakland
What I Would Say About Oakland

I love the way Calvino’s beautiful novel Invisible Cities starts. Marco Polo telling the great Khan of the cities he visited, sharing the objects he collected from the conquered empire, and of hearing languages unknown to him.

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You Can’t Lie About Trees
You Can’t Lie About Trees

Having found John F. Carlson and his Carlson’s Guide to Landscape Painting, I thought to apply my own understanding of what this very storied artist and teacher has advised.

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