“Maria Wickwire’s ceramic sculptures, all female, are unique and beautifully molded by hand. She garnishes them with lovely, often surprising, natural objects that add meaning and mystery. Birds perch on the figures as testimony of women’s gentleness.”
Review by Stephen Hunter in Cascadia Daily 4/18/2022
• Unveiling of Anillos and Guided Tour of Price Sculpture Forest
April 27, 2024
10AM-Noon
Click on the photo to seen her unveiling:
• Once Upon a Time When Women Were Birds
Solo Show
Edison, WA
July 5 – 28th, 2024
When I began this series, I took off in a new direction where I carved very intuitively and allowed the subtlety of gesture to express emotion. As the sculptures began to emerge, incomplete, from their solid bases, they each became a woman connected to her bird soul, reminding me of a poem I had read years ago, Once Upon a Time When Women Were Birds. Their hands are prominent as a reflection of how powerful our hands are to help us caress, connect, protect and hold what we most value or push aside what no longer serves us. Their wings remind of our power both physically and spiritually to rise and thrive while still remaining grounded in our lives.
• 20th Annual NW Art Beat Open Studios Tour
Skagit Valley, WA
July 20-21, 2024
10 AM – 6 PM
• MoNA Store
Ongoing
La Conner, WA
• Tours of the Studio available by appointment
Call (503) 244-0744
or Email to arrange a visit
“Wickwire’s intriguing clay sculptures of the female figure bring to view emotions of anguish and longing. She was a successful, published poet until she first touched clay and discovered a direct connection between damp earth and her feeling hands.
“For Wickwire, clay is female. As it takes form in her hands, it reveals a personality to which she intuitively responds. ‘I feel as if I am simply a conduit that allows her to step forth to tell her story,’ she says. Each masterfully modeled form reveals its nature in gestures and expressions and finds a name from snatches of remembered song to ancient myth, as ‘Daphne,’ ‘Cassandra,’ and the marvelous ‘Persephone.’ “
Review by Stephen Hunter, Cascadia Weekly