María Elena Kaplan is a native of Peru who paints in oils and acrylic to capture the character and color of her native land. She has lived in Colorado for the past 40 years and has always sensed that the American Southwest has a connection of light and spirit with Peru.

María Elena feels she is recording part of Peru’s Andean culture in her paintings. Each time she returns to the markets of Peru she finds fewer people in their traditional dress. She is very proud that the Peruvian spirit will live on in her artwork.