Maria Simonds-Gooding was born in India and moved to Ireland as a child. She attended the National College of Art and Design, Dublin, and Bath Academy. Inspired by the physicality of the Irish coastal landscape, Simonds-Gooding's practice considers the struggle between the individual and the environment. Exhibited extensively since the 1970s, her work is held in public collections including the National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.