María Arvayo is a Tucson-based painter and member of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe. Working across oils, acrylic, watercolor, pastel, and encaustic, she draws her primary inspiration from the light and landscape of the Sonoran Desert and broader Southwest — forms and colors she describes as coming to her naturally. Her work spans landscapes, still lifes, figures, and abstracts, with a growing body of portraiture focused on contemporary Native Americans and the visibility of Native life in present-day society. Arvayo holds a BA in Studio Art and has been exhibiting and teaching in Tucson for more than twenty years, with work shown at the Amerind Museum, Tohono Chul, and through the Arts Foundation for Tucson and Southern Arizona’s Open Studio Tours.