Based in Kansas City, MO, Maura Wright is a visual artist primarily working in earthenware clay and painted paper. Inspired by the exuberance of Rococo ornamentation, the encompassing nature of interior fresco wall painting, and the expressiveness of touch found in American folk art, her ceramic vessels and still life sculpture embrace the evocative capabilities of clay. Vases, tureens, and basket forms are obsessively embellished with drippy glazes, embedded mosaics, pinched florals, and ostentatious handles. Bold and colorful patterns are paired with a reverence for romantic classical forms. 

A trained ceramicist, Wright’s practice has expanded to include large-scale installations depicting the domestic interior. Painted environments are intended to invoke feelings of sensuality and dreaminess with a touch of nostalgia for things that never were. When paired with ceramic objects, the resulting pastiche reflects the impropriety and insouciance of contemporary culture.

Wright earned her MFA from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University in 2018 and a BFA from the Kansas City Art Institute in 2013. Her work has been featured in several publications, including Architectural Digest, Surface Magazine, Curbed, and Dwell Magazine.

After six years in Montana, she relocated her studio to the midwest during the summer of 2024.