Maria Checa

Latin passion meets artistic soul in Maria Checa. Born on 29 July 1970 in Bogotá, Colombia, she moved to Florida with her family as a child and grew up between two cultures, inheriting the fiery warmth of South America and the sunny glamour of Miami. With long, wavy brown hair, smooth olive skin and a petite, naturally curvy figure, she was a beauty no camera could resist.

Maria was always creative. She studied at the Maryland Institute College of Art and at the New World School of the Arts in Miami, training her eye for colour, form and composition. It seems only fitting that she should end up as a work of art herself, and in August 1994 Playboy presented her as Playmate of the Month, in a summery centrefold shot by the legendary Richard Fegley.

Her photos sizzle with Latin heat. Maria poses with a sensual, unhurried grace, as if she is listening to a slow salsa only she can hear. She tilts her head, lets her hair tumble across her shoulders and gives the camera a smouldering look that is both inviting and a little bit dangerous. Her natural curves and golden skin glow in the soft light, and every frame feels warm, intimate and wonderfully revealing.

There is also a refreshing sense of intelligence in her pictures, the self-awareness of an artist who understands exactly how an image is built and enjoys playing with it. She is not just being photographed; she is collaborating, composing the perfect tease.

After her time with Playboy, Maria continued to work as a model and actress and focused increasingly on her own art, becoming an accomplished artist in her own right.

This gallery is a celebration of the Colombian-born beauty who brought a touch of the gallery to the centrefold, and a lot of heat to August 1994.

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