Maria and Valentin Ciucur started their career more than 27 years ago in Romania. After finishing High School they went to an art school to learn more about art, especially iconography, which was forbidden by the Communist Regime at that time in Romania. Maria started by painting nature for companies from Germany and Italy. After a while, influenced by her husband Valentin, friends and other people, she started painting what was closer to her heart, icons. She worked for that company almost ten years and after she became an independent artist, she started to spread her icons all over the country; in galleries, art stores and museums. Becoming and independent artist she started working with her husband on icons. She became well known all over Romania and she started to work with the biggest art stores there. Advancing in her artwork by developing her talent and helping her husband do the same they started to be selected by professional artists to participate in the best art shows in Romania. In 1997 they made a contract with a professional art vendor from Italy to work for, in order to place their icons in the best galleries in Italy beside the work of the best iconographers. Also they were painting icons for many other countries like France, Israel, Greece, Germany. In 1998 Maria Ciucur came to the USA. Shortly she started painting the Holy Cross Orthodox church on Leesburg Pike, Alexandria. Meanwhile she and her husband started to work with a lot of cathedrals, galleries and churches in Washington DC area. You can view her icons in the National Cathedral in Washington, DC in Wisconsin Avenue, in the Basilica of the National Shrine on Michigan Avenue and many other cathedrals, galleries and churches. They also have icons in the Hillwood Museum in Washington DC. Now she is participating in some of the best art shows in the USA and just recently they were selected to have a review for the week-end section of Washington Times. Besides being an artist, she is a wonderful mother and wife. Now she lives with her family in Woodbridge, VA where she paints her icons. The church that she painted, where her uncle is the priest, helps her follow the religious discipline required in order to paint icons. She and her husband go there every Friday evening and Sunday morning to receive the blessing from Father George to continue their work.