“Its unbelievable how much joy my art has brought me, as my husband always says, "the best is yet to come." And that’s what keeps me pushing!”
O.G. Lady Key
Maria Key is a first generation Chicana artist. Born and raised in East Los Angeles, and better known in the art community as "O.G. Lady Key”. She is the SFS Art Fest recipient of the 2022 City of Santa Fe Springs’ Grand Jury Master Artist Award.
Her love for art, at an early age, motivated O.G. Lady Key to become a self-taught artist. Her art was inspired by her husband's love and drive for boxing. Supporting her husband's boxing journey and embracing her Chicana roots has brought her to create beautiful portraits - adding her own special touch of color vibrancy and arrangement to every piece, capturing the most emotional moments that one can relate to.
Through her artwork, O.G. Lady Key is devoted to raising awareness about the impact art has, enhancing the well-being of individuals, society connecting as a whole, and the environment. She knows that art and artists have the power to heal, inspire, provoke, challenge, and offer hope.
She was born with the gift of visual arts. When she was little, her advanced drawing skills always stood out to observers and were incomparable to other children at her age. She was always fascinated with being a visual learner - from art, crafts, hairstyling, and crocheting - she learned it all by herself from partaking and observing. One would even think she went to school to learn all of these skills. However, growing up in a Mexican household, all she knew was that her parents worked hard to make sure that she and her siblings had access to education. When she graduated high school, the thought that going to college to study was not an option. All she could hear was,"You will not find any jobs with an arts degree." Being discouraged by hearing that, she moved on, not knowing that years down the road she would slowly begin sketching...
Until about 6 years ago, when she was trying to find a unique Valentine's day gift for her husband, she picked up a canvas and some paint that had been sitting in her garage for a few years and the expedition began. The outcome, and to her husband's surprised face in witnessing her natural talent, said it all! It gave O.G. Lady Key the confidence to begin her art journey while he began investing in her art supplies. Little by little, she began receiving commissions, which added to her art assemblage. In 2019, her husband decided it was time to get her feet wet with her own art show - which, by the way, was a great success! Last year, she had her second art show and added more items to her collection and merchandise. It's been a series of successful moments where her art has been featured in one of the Ring Magazine's fan pages and also featured in the “Trap X Art Digital Magazine.”
“Its unbelievable how much joy my art has brought me, as my husband always says, "the best is yet to come." And that’s what keeps me pushing!”
What began as creating boxing art to impress her husband with her visual artistry and his love for boxing, has broadened her art to capture what really inspires her to create: Women empowerment and Chicano art that represent her roots.