Maidy Morhous
"I begin with an idea, an emotion, an abstract concept. As a piece develops, my original concept evolves, solidifies, or in some cases, changes completely. I see my work as relating collectively rather than as individualistic, the embodiment of feelings and emotions. In this way, my artwork is meant to be symbolic rather than representative." – Maidy Morhous
An accomplished printmaker as well as sculptor, Maidy Morhous was born in Upstate New York. She currently creates out of her studio in Del Mar, thirty minutes north of San Diego, California. Morhous received her Master of Fine Arts degree while continuing studies at Stanley Hayter's Atelier 17 in Paris, France in the mid-1970's. Before returning to the States, she traveled to Italy to study casting techniques at the Marinelli Foundry in Florence, Italy. Morhous became fascinated with how bronze, a cold, hard metal, could take on such a soft sensuous appearance, and has since worked exclusively with bronze.
Maidy Morhous' sculptures cannot be taken in with one glance. They pull in the viewer and force them to react and question what they are viewing; be it to question life and one's existence, the world's plight, or just to bring a smile to one's face. Morhous has spent years examining social critique, political, and cultural issues. The resistance to the oppression of socially inscribed narratives and socially dominating practices presented sublimely to the viewer are open to interpretation. Her recent artwork is devoid of the human form, which permeates most of her early sculptures, adding a refreshing twist on commentary.
Morhous is currently showing in several exhibits across the country, including a solo exhibition at Tohoku Fukushi University, Sendai, Japan, and at the Oceanside Museum of Art in Oceanside, California. She is also featured in the award winning documentary film "One," by Heartland Films Inc. Her recently commissioned sculpture "Humanity" is the subject of the documentary. Maidy's work can be found in public and private collections in the United States, Japan, Europe and Canada.
