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Maria Shaw is a Ceramic Artist residing in Orange, NSW on Wiradjuri Land. Maria operates out of her home studio carefully supervised by the two pottery cats Wizard and Chaos. Her studio is decorated with treasures from nature: a pinboard of eucalyptus leaves and picture ledges hosting coral, shells, starfish, seedpods, gumnuts & banksias.
Maria loves being a regional artist living and working in Orange. Living in a regional area with lower living costs compared to major cities allows Maria to have home studio with specific ceramic equipment such as kilns and pottery wheel. The affordability of space has given Maria flexibility within her practice to work on ambitious projects that require room to spread out and experiment.
The Orange community has a lively art scene and offers a strong appreciation for their local artists and provides a supportive environment for their work. By living and working in Orange Maria can engage directly with the Orange audience through exhibition openings and events, and open studio days. This direct interaction has led to a deeper connection between Maria and her growing audience.
Another benefit from living regionally is being surround by nature, which Maria finds vital to her practice. Many regional areas are known for their stunning natural beauty, including mountains, forests, rivers, and coastlines. Artists can draw inspiration from these landscapes, capturing their beauty and essence in their artwork. Orange is no different, as it is on the foot of Mt Gaanha Bula (Mt Canobolas). This region is blessed with by stunning natural beauty, including native bush, vineyards and farmland that stretch out to the horizon. It has been nicknamed the Colour City not only because of the name of the city, but also the numerous deciduous trees which change colours of leaves in autumn, the blooming of flowers in spring, and occasional the snow-covered landscapes in winter are all ideas and themes Maria explores.
“One of my favourite things to do is to collect fallen leaves. I am so lucky to live in Orange, there are lots walks and bushland close into town, meaning within 10-15 min drive you are out of the suburbs and in the nature.” - Maria Shaw
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Maria grew up on the South Coast of New South Wales and studied art throughout her schooling. Her pursuit as an artist began with a BA of Visual Arts at the Australian National University in Canberra from 2010 to 2012, where she majored in textiles. It was here Maria explored various making methods and material, finally being captured by basketry. While completing her Honours in 2013, Maria pushed the method of basketry by using building materials and greatly increasing the scale of her artworks within the sculpture workshop.
Following university Maria moved to Melbourne from 2014-2016 and drifted within her artist practice while also trying to make a living. In the beginning of 2017, she moved to Orange in Central West NSW. It was here that she began pursuing an art career with vigour.
Maria's love affair with pottery started as she dreamt of creating a ‘handmade’ house. In 2019 after the purchase of their first house she decided to fill her house with handmade objects and furniture. As part of this ‘handmade’ project Maria aimed to make all their bowl, plates and mugs. In essence this is where the ‘handmade’ project ended and her obsession with clay began. There were no pottery classes in the Central West so she travelled once a week to Sydney for an 8 week course at Studio En. This led her to discover a profound connection with the material and the process. After the 8 weeks Maria was devastated at the thought of not making with clay anymore, so she took the leap and brought her first second-hand kiln.
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Education
2013 BA of Visual Arts (Honours) at the Australian National University, School of Art, Canberra. Majoring in Sculpture.
2012 BA of Visual Arts at the Australian National University, School of Art, Canberra. Majoring in Textiles.
Solo Exhibitions
2014 Come out, come out, whereever you are? – Belconnen Arts Centre Exhibition (Belconnen Arts Centre Exhibition Award – ANU school of Art Emerging Artists Support Scheme)
Duo Exhibitions
2024 Coral: an Exploration at Peisley Street Gallery, Orange.
2022 Botanicals up close at Peisley Street Gallery, Orange.
Group Exhibitions
2022 Here/Now at Orange Regional Gallery, Orange.
2021 Self-Portrait in Isolation at Peisley Street Gallery, Orange, NSW.
2021 Here/Now at Orange Regional Gallery, Orange, NSW
2020 Australian Textile Art Award Exhibition Finalist at The Embroiderers Guild, Victoria.
2019 Mini Series Art Prize Exhibition Finalist at the Corner Store Gallery, Orange, NSW.
2019 Yan Tan Tethera Exhibition at the Corner Store Gallery, Orange, NSW.
Public Art Projects
May 2023 ‘Dappled Landscape’ Futuring Orange Public Art Project McNamara Street, Orange
Chaos
Wizard