“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
Solo Show
Langley, WA
September 2025
Ongoing
Mount Vernon, WA
Stoneware clay with porcelain slip, and glaze washes, 6.5 x 12 x 6 inches
• New Work by Smith and Vallee Artists
July 5 — August 31, 2025
Edison, WA
Ceramic clay and oxides, 7 x 17 x 8 inches
• 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