María Gísladóttir was born in Ísafjörður in 1960. In her upbringing, María quickly gravitated towards drawing and her mother no doubt had a great influence because she was very artistic. Her favourite subject was the Icelandic horse. María studied art at the Polytechnic College in Breiðholt and later went on to study for a diploma at the Reykjavík School of Visual Arts.

María has lived in many places around the world, such as Israel, Egypt, Syria and Croatia. This experience has shaped María and influenced her art. María currently works in the Role Center, which is an activity center. There is an art department there that she has used and learned various things, such as watercolouring, oil painting, editing techniques, pastel painting and much more. There she has been guided by Anna Henriksdóttir and Svafa Einarsdóttir. She has also taken watercolour online courses with Liz Chaderton and Tom Shepard. She has participated in group exhibitions at the Role Center and around the Reykjavík area. She is a member of the Icelandic Watercolour Society.