MILWAUKEE — It all started with a family nickname. When Maria Knier was a child, “Bezert” was a name coined by her father for little kids and little creatures.
Maria decided to bring the word to life by writing and illustrating a book around a character named “The Bezert”.
“It’s basically a trust journey. This little character meets other characters and learns to trust and learns about himself. I call it a gift book for kids of all ages," says Maria. “It’s things that I wished that I’d learned when I was young.”
But it didn't end there. Maria blended her background in art with her love for animals and began sculpting what she calls anthropomorphic totem faunas, as she uses photographs of human eyes in her characters.
“It’s been so amazing to watch people gravitate to the animals and to see how they treat them, almost as if they were buying little pets. It’s really sweet," said Maria.
This is what keeps her going. She loves doing art fairs where she has a chance to interact with her customers and share the back stories of her totems.
I asked Maria what advice she had for other artists looking for ways to express themselves. She said, ”You have to listen to that little voice, which is what Bezert says in his little journey.”
For more information, check out: TheBezert.com
