Monika is always seeking innovative methods to merge art and chemistry. She experiments by melting pine tree resin onto her prints, adding both warmth and durability. Monika holds a master’s degree in chemistry, and “always sensed a void where art should be” she says. This yearning led her to discover a passion for photography, allowing her to blend her scientific background with her artistic aspirations. Born in Lithuania and raised near the Amber Coast, she seamlessly merges these two facets of her life. Her latest project, “Woman and The Sea,” incorporates pine tree resin – not fossilized amber – and is called “Amber Coast.” The pine tree resin not only imparts a slightly warm yellow color but also acts as a natural antioxidant, preserving the images indefinitely. Amber, on the other hand, is fossilized tree resin, prized for its color and natural beauty since the Neolithic era and used in jewelry and folk medicine since antiquity. In her world, art and chemistry blend into a form of alchemy. Monika’s photographs are characterized by a strong aesthetic signature that embodies poetic irony and melancholy. “The Curonian Spit, with its amazing and unique landscape created by wind and sea, has been part of my life since childhood. Its rare wildlife and fascinating sand dunes, reminiscent of the Sahara Desert, alongside the powerful sea, have always inspired me. Women – powerful, endless, giving, mysterious, dramatic, dangerous, calm, fragile, ironic, and poetic – remind me of every tiny sand particle sliding in the wind. Women have so many faces and are never fully understood. My passion for women stems from my grandmother, with whom I grew up. In my world, colors feel out of place. Black and white create a comforting distance from reality, while the touch of pine tree resin transports me to warm, sunny days. My photography is intertwined with irony and melancholy. Through my lens, I capture moments to liberate myself from the past. It’s my form of freedom. Solitude was my childhood companion. I embraced the pain it brought and eventually found comfort in it. The calls of seagulls are both lonely and enigmatic. Black and white photography evokes the gentle sound of lapping water. I often dream of the Amber Coast, wishing it could last forever.” Monika Maroziene has been awarded as: • 1st place winner: Fine Art Photographer of The Year 2024 at Monochrome Photography Awards 2024 • 1st place winner in Fine Art and Gold winner in Fine Art/Portrait at Tokyo International Foto Awards 2024 (Tifa) • Silver winner at the Prix de la Photographie Paris (Px3) 2024 • Silver winner in Fine Art / Nudes at Budapest International Foto Awards (Bifa) 2024 • Honorable Mention at the International Photography Awards (IPA) 2024 Her captivating work was showcased at Trieste Photo Days, and she is a featured author in the official URBAN Photo Awards catalogue, “URBAN Unveils the City and its Secrets - Vol. 10.”