Mara are the intuitive waters that source all life.
Tuli are the flames that forge, protect, and illuminate.
Mara is based on the word for “sea” in both my ancestral Slavic heritage and the Spanish language, which I study in romance. This half of my artist name is a deep connection to the divine feminine that lives through my maternal lineage. Mara are the intuitive waters that source all life.
Tuli is a Finnish word for “fire”. This half of my name honors the divine masculine of my paternal ancestors and embraces my role as a sacred firekeeper in these dark times. Tuli are the flames that forge, protect, and illuminate.
This symbolic union of opposites helps me embody the teachings of the Yin and Yang. Like all natural systems, I am constantly seeking equilibrium. Searching for delicate balance in the ever-shifting territory between extremes. And then, beyond elemental duality is a steamy third part: powerful spirit energy that fuels my creative and design practices.
You, oh eternal Trinity, are a deep Sea.
The deeper I enter, the more I find.
And the more I find, the more I seek.
SAINT CATHERINE OF SIENA
Photo by Heather Gray
Ana Peltz
After earning degrees in Graphic Design and Spanish Language & Culture from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, I started my career as an activist print designer at Social Impact Studios in Philadelphia. In my first professional decade, I cranked out materials for public interest campaigns all over the country; managed a roster of special projects, learned how to tell stories; cemented my commitment to social justice, learned to practice Reiki, and figured out how to balance my persistent attention to detail with budgets, deadlines, and schedules.
My interests and skills led me into the world of studio art and public events. For the next six years, I organized the annual Philadelphia Open Studio Tours. In this role, I delighted in opening the doors of hundreds of professional artists’ studios for everyone from industry professionals to pedestrians. This experience schooled me in the particulars of fine art, fundraising, civic engagement, the nature of subjectivity, a new urbanism, studio practice, the shortcomings of capitalism, and why artists really matter in life.
Along the way, I committed to a lifelong partnership with Alex Peltz and we welcomed two incredible children into our lives. Most notable of my creative endeavors is motherhood, which has cured me of a tendency toward perfectionism and realigned my focus to personal and collective wellbeing. I have spent recent years with my husband in our design studio, looking through kaleidoscopes with the children, listening to the forest, volunteering in my community, studying Feng Shui, playing with ink, and dabbling in plant medicine.
As an activist, a pacifist, and a naturalist, I am sobered by the trauma we are inflicting on each other and the Earth. I feel a deep calling to respond with my own small offerings of joy, healing, creativity, and gratitude. I have re-oriented my life toward celestial and terrestrial rhythms. I draw strength from the natural world and pluralistic spirituality. I find comfort in remembering our humble place in the circle of all living beings. And while I honor the deep wisdom of our ancestors and sacred traditions, I also believe the best of what humans can do is yet to come.