Figurative imagery has always been my favorite form of artistic expression. I love a good story, and it’s impossible for me not to see a narrative when I look at the figure. Clay is my main medium because of its magical ability to become almost anything. I’m not a ceramic purist, though. Mixed media finds its way into several of my pieces to add unexpected elements of color and texture. There are some things that clay does not do well, so I seek out the fluffy, spindly and soft from other materials. I love to experiment. When I’m not sculpting, hiking, gardening, sewing and knitting relax me and allow my mind to rest and wander. I consider myself very lucky to share my life with a husband who is lyrically and musically creative, singer/songwriter Ryan David Orr. We both love the intensity and diversity of the Arizona landscape and often spend hours hiking in the wilderness and collecting inspiration for our creative practices. Teaching is also a big part of my life; I am full-time art faculty and gallery director at Northland Pioneer College in Show Low, Arizona.
Biography: Magda earned her MFA in ceramics at the University of Florida and continued on as a resident artist at the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg, Tennessee and Roswell Art Center West in Roswell, Georgia. She has also been an artist in residence internationally at C.R.E.T.A. Rome (supported by a Research and Development Grant from the Arizona Commission on the Arts), the Skopelos Foundation for the Arts in Greece and at La Fragua in Belalcazar, Spain. Magda was an Invited Artist at the 2010 Figurative Association Symposium at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts and a 2011 NCECA Emerging Artist. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally and she has instructed workshops at several nationally recognized art centers, including Santa Fe Clay, Reitz Ranch Center for the Ceramic Arts, Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, and Clay Arts Vegas.
