Affirming a Talent

"If I don't create, I don't feel well. I get sick." What is the source of this need that is so fundamental to Maria Saracino? Did she inherit it from her aunt, the dressmaker? Does it come from her mother, who made the family's clothing? Did she get it from her father, a sculptor of funerary monuments?

Whatever its origins, this need drove her to patiently explore graphic design, painting and sculpture in search of the medium that was right for her. Then, in 1995, she discovered the polymer compound used to create her collector's dolls. Things just took off from there: her first major prize, in 1997, was followed by several others, and her reputation is growing in Canada and the United States.

Everything is still moving quickly for Maria Saracino, except her work, whose realistic detail and movement require countless hours of research and interaction with the material. In other words, hours and hours
of fun.

La Befana Made by Maria Saracino Canada 2002 Polymer clay, fabric, wood Lent by Maria Saracino Until recently, it was the Befana, and not Santa Claus, who brought presents to children in many regions of Italy. This character, a sorceress, remains important today. On January 6 (Epiphany), she brings toys and sweets to children who have behaved well during the year, but leaves only stones or pieces of coal for those who were naughty.

	Baseball Players Made by Maria Saracino Canada 2000 Polymer clay, fabric, wood Lent by Maria Saracino Bocce Players Made by Maria Saracino Canada 2002 Polymer clay, fabric, wood Lent by Maria Saracino

	Bocce Players (detail)