Maria Doumani was born and raised in Thessaloniki, Greece. She studied iconography at the Panselinos Academy under the guidance of professors Yiannis Sidiropoulos and Giorgos Sidiropoulos, where she was trained in Iconography Drawing, the Macedonian and Cretan styles, fresco painting, and "gilding": the technique of polished gold.  

Her work primarily involves wood, egg tempera, pigments, and gold leaf. In her creations, she incorporates elements from various schools of Byzantine iconography, while remaining faithful to the Orthodox tradition. Maria is also a graduate of the First Painting Laboratory at the School of Fine Arts at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.  

Currently, Maria lives and works in Halkidiki. She has participated in group exhibitions and has held her first solo exhibition of abstract art in 2023.  

For the last few years, Maria has led iconography workshops in Halkidiki where she recently met Dr Azelina Flint during Azelina's 2023 research trip to Greece for the "Women's Iconography in the Twenty-First Century" IAA project. An interview between Azelina and Maria can be viewed below. It is produced by Alexandros Keramidakis of Icon Photo Studio, Thessaloniki.