*Maria Checa* is the *Playboy Playmate* for August 1994. It's an hour
before closing, and the Historical Museum of South Florida is nearly empty,
just the way Maria Checha likes it. Slowly, as if treading on hallowed
ground, the Bogotá-born Miss August wanders through the exhibits and stops,
transfixed, in front of a 19th century photograph of a huge banyan tree.
"As a child," relates Maria with a faint Colombian accent, "I would
swing from the vines of a tree just like that one and play for hours under
its maze of hanging roots. This picture brings back a million wonderful
memories. That's the power of great photography." Maria should know.
She's a photographer herself, having studied the craft since she was 17
years old. She shoots primarily with black-and-white film and develops her
own pictures, usually portraits of friends or photographs of the art deco
architecture in Miami's South Beach neighborhood, where she lives. But this
self-proclaimed visual artist expresses herself with more than a camera.
Maria also paints in acrylics and watercolors, sketches with charcoal,
sculpts and creates three-dimensional mixed-media art. Back at her studio
apartment, where she has painted a tromp l'oiel sky on the wall, she pulls
a painting from behind an antique armchair that she's re-upholstering.
Monet, Maria's Himalayan cat, jumps onto her lap for a closer look at the
bemused figure on the canvas. "This could represent me," Maria says.
"Confused at times, on the fence, open to whatever comes next. I'm quite
shy, so I express myself through my artwork." Maria's father introduced
her to art by buying her brushes and paints when she was just a child. "He
never gave me coloring books, though, because just filling in the blanks
requires no creativity. I always knew I had talent, and I wanted to prove
it." Maria got her chance after her family moved to Miami in the late
Seventies, where she was later accepted at the New World School of the Arts,
a high school for artistically gifted teens. After graduating, Maria went on
to the Maryland Institute College of Art. Finances forced her to return to
Miami, where she now supports herself as a makeup artist for photo shoots and
at the cosmetic counter in a department store. "I still feel a passion for
art. But sometimes my job takes precedence over my artwork." Maria hopes
being a Playmate will provide new artistic opportunities. Since appearing in
the 40th Anniversary Issue of Playboy, she has become somewhat of a celebrity
both here and in her homeland. What lies ahead for Maria? "Who knows what
great things will develop from these photos," she muses. "My future is a
blank canvas just waiting to be painted." Maria Checa Bio Name: Maria Checa
Birthplace: Bogota, Colombia Bust: 32C Waist: 23 Hips: 33 Height: 5′ 2″
Weight: 95 lbs Ambitions: To live life to its fullest, have a beautiful
family and a successful career. Turn-Ons: A romantic candlelight dinner
overlooking the ocean at sunset with someone I care about. Turnoffs: People
who are always late. People who are dishonest, self-centered and have no
ambition. The Way To My Heart: Is by spoiling me with attention. I love for a
man to make me feel like I'm number one in his life. If I Were Invisible:
Life would be less challenging, because it would make it too easy to find the
answers to my questions. I May Be Tiny: But haven't you heard? Good things
come in small packages. I Wish I Had: The ability to read minds. See more of
Maria Checa nude a the Playboy Cyberclub. Join Maria Checa at Playboy