______________________________________Written by Camryn Collier
The first time I met Maria Senkel, she shushed me almost immediately. I was bewildered—we had just met!
But when I shot her a quizzical eye, she wore this small, secretive smile and a decidedly mischievous twinkle in her eye. As she pointed across the living room to her window, I suddenly understood.
A chipmunk, with his arms and mouth full of seeds, was in her window.
My jaw dropped as I crept closer. Maria has a window insert for critter watching with transparent panels that arc into her living room in a U-shape. A white panel on the bottom allows little guests to sit while they enjoy their snacks.
Because of my astonishment, I was not sly. The chipmunk saw me and skittered away before I could get too close. Still, what a delightful surprise, I thought as I turned to Maria with a smile. This beginning moment defined my whole experience getting to know Maria for the Artist Spotlight Blog—it was simply a delightful surprise.
A self-proclaimed fantasy artist, Maria specializes in childlike, imaginative works. She joined the Associated Artists of Winston-Salem, Inc. (AAWS) in July for the “When We Were Kids” exhibition at the Masonic Center this past Summer.
That exhibition perfectly suited her since much of her work is inspired by fairy tales, fables, nursery rhymes, and anthropomorphism.
“Fairy tales are full of magic but also teach us about life,” Maria said. “They fire up my imagination and give me ideas for my artwork. I love how these stories bring to life characters and worlds that are just full of wonder. That's why my art often includes elements of humor, a light-hearted feel, and some moral lessons like those timeless tales.”
True to her word, I felt like a spinning top on the first day we met at her home. I was turning around in circles, oohing and aahing at everything in her studio. Sculptures of knights stood at attention, 3D paper dragons hung coiled on the wall, an animation-style blue unicorn sat in the corner, and an army of mushrooms relaxed on a platter begging for attention.
My personal favorite, however, is her larger-than-life current project: an (about) 6-foot paper tree featuring 15 fairy tales and 42 nursery rhymes that light up and move. Every time a light flickered on, I gasped in amazement at the colors and charm. Princess and the Pea, Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, and Cinderella were all brought to life right before my eyes. Maria laughed beside me, amused and excited that her art was achieving its’ goal, bringing out the little one in me.
“Through my work, I aim to remind everyone that it's not only okay but vital to embrace play, creativity, and wonder,” Maria said. “My goal extends beyond just making art; it's about helping others find their way back to that place where imagination is limitless and where the simple act of playing can bring profound joy and refreshment to our lives.”
The desire to share the magic of childhood wonderment comes from Maria’s later-in-life exposure to fairy tales. In her childhood, Grimm-like tales were not commonplace. Instead, her parents taught her lessons on practicality and safety through examples and experiences.
Even then, when she was young, Maria felt a spark for art. Her earliest memories include a box of colored pencils her mom gave her. Other memories from her childhood inspire characters in current works: walks to and from school with her friends, skipping classes to hike mountains, and details from the lavish dresses her mom created as a high-end, European-inspired seamstress for the community elite.
As Maria got older, she lived in Boston for a time and worked as an investor. Still, she yearned for a life of creativity. Finally, after a long career, she fell into the art world and took classes at the now-closed Art Institute of Charlotte.
“The real 'ignition' happened when I delved into art history. I was particularly captivated by European architecture, mythology, and the profound symbolism found in historic artworks,” Maria said. “This, combined with the emerging influence of movies, books, bedtime stories, and fables, fanned the flames of my creativity. Once I fully embraced this passion, what started as a spark grew into a persistent flame. Now, in retirement, I've been able to devote more time to stoking this fire, continuously creating and exploring my artistic side.”
Maria mostly works in wood carving, sketching, and watercolors. Each medium brings out a different side of her work, and she lets the narrative dictate the choice, she said. Watercolors enhance the magic, paper allows for 3D aspects, and wood and clay give substance to characters.
“Once I have the idea, I have to control my mind,” she said. “It goes in so many directions. It’s exciting. The start of the process is solidifying all the thousands of little elements into a narrowed-down idea. Then I plan my medium and evaluate how much detail I’m going to put into it.”
Each step of her process is heavily documented. This comes from her love for the process itself, she notes. She takes pictures of her inspiration, writes down the idea in multiple ways, lays out all the materials, sketches the design, drafts details, and intimately plans each aspect of the creation on paper. Usually, she also practices forms (especially if it’s a wood carving) a time or two.
One piece she’s most proud of is Out for A Ride, a wood carving currently on display in the AAWS Artist Spotlight 2024 show at Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts (some pictures above). She has files and files of her process for this piece.
“This wood carving not only reflects my commitment but also my passion for highlighting the inherent beauty, flexibility, and expressive potential of wood,” Maria said. “It marks a significant point in my artistic journey, capturing my skill level at that moment. The artwork incorporates 15 exotic wood veneers, meticulously inlaid into basswood and carved solely with knives and palm tools.”
In her art career, she’s joined exhibits, received commissions, and even has permanent public art in Charlotte. However, she dreams big, and in the future, she hopes to have one exhibit all to herself, she said. She also hopes to give her nursery rhyme and fairy tale tree to a public library for children’s enjoyment.
It came up again and again in our conversations: art made for public and personal enjoyment. But somehow, I found the notion odd and couldn’t figure out why.
I remember struggling with this thought as I pulled away from Maria’s house after my first visit (I visited twice). If I hadn’t known she was in AAWS, if I had just passed her on the street, she wouldn’t strike me as an artist. Despite her immense creativity and talent, Maria is not an “art out loud” type of person.
When you’re walking around Downtown Winston-Salem, the artistry of people is sometimes evident. Handmade clothing and jewelry, paint-splattered overalls, a camera around their neck, or a paintbrush tucked behind the ear, some people display apparent indicators. With Maria, there is no such thing. Even in her home, though there are hints of that childlike curiosity like her “critter” viewing window, the walls are blank. The atmosphere is filled with advanced technology rather than an artist's tools. Maria herself is always tidy in appearance.
But then, I began to realize as I drove down the streets of Lewisville, that’s the secret to her. Her art is not about living out loud; it’s an intimate, personal journey she’s brave enough to share with us. The details, documentation, and rewriting of the fantastical narratives in her style all leads back to her rediscovering her own inner child.
But the true magic of her works is not the extreme detail or even the subject matter. Rather, the magic comes from imagining, just for a moment, that the burst of color, whimsy, and fun is something she imagined just for you. That play between the personal, the known, and the traditional with the Maria’s own redefined, unconventional, and sometimes secretive retelling is something truly special.
“I have always seen art as mine,” she said. “It’s my personal space. It’s kind of like your place in society. In order to function in a society, you certainly have to follow rules, but when do you get to do what you want? To me, that space of creativity is my world and I am the one that makes the rules.”
And what a delightful surprise her works create for us all.
“There’s something missing,” she said about fairy tales. “And that’s me.”
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For more on Maria, please visit her website at mariasenkel.com
