Maya von Geldern was born and raised in Hawai'i, surrounded by a family of artists and designers.  Knowing as a child that she wanted to be an artist, she still struggles to narrow down a world of interests and define exactly what it is she wants to do "when she grows up."      

She majored in Glass Blowing and Jewelry/ Metal Arts in Oakland, at California College of the Arts; studied Art History and French/ Italian language at the Sorbonne, in Paris, France and the Scuola Leonardo da Vinci in Florence, Italy; and then, got her BFA in fashion design in Los Angeles, from Otis College of Art and Design.  

After years of working in L.A. as a freelance fashion designer, and a fashion design teacher at LACHSA and Otis, Maya headed back to Italy for three years and developed a jewelry and t-shirt line with an Italian artist and his wife.  Moving back to the U.S. at the end of '07 she then launched gallery by maya von geldern.  The line is a culmination of interests that are a result of her experiences and desires.  

Maya now lives, with her family in Portland, Oregon... a city rich in art, architecture, and nature, that provides even more inspiration for her work, and is launching a new company, Ink & Tailor, in 2014, taking her love of storytelling via photography, to another level.