Vaiju Saraf is a Chicago-based artist and founder of The Red Maple whose creative practice spans stained-glass mosaic, oil painting, and mixed media. After a 19-year career as a computer engineer, Vaiju transitioned into the arts, drawing inspiration from nature, travel, and the artistic traditions she encountered while visiting more than 20 countries. Her paintings often explore flowers, foliage, landscapes, and scenes inspired by her travels, while her mosaics incorporate materials including stained glass, smalti, ceramic tile, metal, rock, slate, and even burnt wood. Visits to Spain and Turkey sparked her fascination with mosaic art, particularly the work of Antoni Gaudí, and she later pursued advanced mosaic study at the Chicago Mosaic School. Vaiju especially enjoys creating art fusions that bring different materials, techniques, and cultural influences together in a single work.