that she had developed by force of study and work. In relation to this, she sensed what she wanted, she knew that her brother, Ernesto, had managed to create an impeccable painting, but ... "I cried because I did not know how to do it, I knew what I wanted, but not how to do it. I prepared my fabrics, and then I was painting with waxes, with means that emerged from my investigations, and then I gave it what I call the finish, the last thing I do is a wax mixed with acrylic and other chemical materials, it is a big little secret that I keep." Artistic periods Her work is often compared to the Dutch Masters of the 17th century for her mastery of light and the art of chiaroscuro, the technique of contrasting light and shade in order to enhance shape, form, texture, and transparency. Oranges—her indisputable object of artistic focus—center in most of her current paintings due to their unmistakable multicolored tones that Ana Maria plays with. Primitive Period Martínez began her career in the late 1960s, in what is known in Spanish as her "Epoca Primitiva", which roughly translates to "Primitive Period" which began after she participated in a clay modeling course sponsored by the French embassy in San Salvador (1967–1968). Here, she made casts and polychrome pourings using many techniques, including encaustics, which she would later use in paintings, combined with other contemporary techniques and materials. It was during this time that Ana Maria, inspired by Mayan and Colonial art, began the search for a style of her own where she could begin to express her message of "spiritual peace and the joy of living". She focuses on regional landscapes and the traditions of Salvadoran folklore and its surroundings—fields of flowers and scenes with great architectonic ideas—all executed with great precision. In this period, which carried on until around 1982, she evolved very quickly, blending colors with the magic of the artist. Period of Walls In the next period (1983–1984), known in Spanish as the "Epoca de Muros" (Roughly translating into "Period of Walls") Martínez sought to evolve with other concepts and paints works which always contain walls—with which she expressed the technical difficulties that she needed to overcome. She used many animals during this time, mainly bees, which, in an ironic play of events in life, foreshadows a tragic event she would