Beloved community: ceramic artist Maria Shilnikova
Maria Shilnikova is a Helsinki based artist, ceramicist and a former interior designer. Her work is deeply rooted in the intuitive relationship between the role as the creator and the material. She believes that clay is a profound teacher—one that requires both control and surrender, demanding honesty in every touch. Through this connection, the material brings her back to her true self, guiding her towards authenticity and balance.
Inspired by the simplicity of everyday life and the quiet beauty of northern nature, she finds endless inspiration in the small moments—whether it’s a cup of tea, a walk with her dog, or the subtle patterns in tree trunks and stones. As a visual person, she immerses herself in the world around her, capturing details in photos and admiring the craftsmanship in classic art.
As an ode to art and healing — and to the art of healing or healing art, we are excited to share two new creations in collaboration with Maria. This collaboration features a t-shirt and an art poster adorned with a ceramic spiral print—symbolizing the cyclical nature of life. The spiral reminds us that the end is always the beginning, and the beginning is always the end. We are forever unwinding, evolving, and becoming.
Hello Maria, how are you feeling today, and in life in general?
Hi Kajsa, thank you for asking. For me this is a more deep question than it seems, and looks like there is no simple way of answering it. Right now my life is quite full with many wonderful things like art projects, learning a new language and finding myself in a new place, meeting new amazing people and building meaningful connections. It is also quite intense sometimes, and I am learning to see the beauty in every step of the way. Now I can feel that we are saying goodbye to the winter, and spring is ahead, so this transitional period is also interesting.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and who you are?
Well, I’d like to define myself as a woman, as a mother, as an artist, as a ceramicist.
I was always sure that I would be an artist, from a very early childhood. I was always painting, imagining things, creating fantasy worlds. Then life brought me to different fields, I was studying management, interior design, gardening, and permaculture. I was working as an interior designer, when I got an idea to create bespoke flower pots, and found myself in a clay studio. I remember very vividly when I first touched a lump of clay, and it was a very movie-like moment, I suddenly understood what it was like to be chosen by the material. Since that moment I spent every free hour in a clay studio, and then slowly it has become my profession.
“There is something very meaningful for me about creating things by hand. I find it very sacred.”
Is there anything that has a deeper influence or inspires you in your work right now?
I have to be honest, right now I am thinking a lot about overconsumption that is happening in the world. As a creator of physical objects, unfortunately, I am a contributor to this process as well. So now I am reevaluating my practice in every step.
My first impulse was to stop creating, and for me this is a synonym to stop living. Then I started to research more other ways of creating and how I could change my practice to be more in tune with nature. Now I spent more time in my head and in sketches before physically creating something, also experimenting on smaller scales. Also, I opened the world of wild and local materials that could be used in ceramics. This brought me to a deeper feeling that I am on the right path, and also I got even more in love with my craft and the land around. It gave me a feeling what it is like to create with Nature herself as a co-creator.
What has your work with ceramics taught you about yourself, life, earth, healing?
Clay is a wonderful teacher. You really are to build a relationship with the material. You need to feel a lot and trust your feelings: where to have more control and confidence, and where to surrender. Because in clay you are working with your hands, it doesn’t tolerate any lies, even when you are trying to lie to yourself. It shows everything. And sometimes it’s not easy. But when you really connect with the material, it brings you back to your true self, and this is wonderful and very profound.
I also noticed that the lunar and body cycles affect my workflow a lot. Clay is a very intuitive and alive material, and I noticed that at some phases of the month I am better in working with the material itself, while in the other phases it's more fluent for me to sit still, do research or sketches. Some phases are great for resting, and doing nothing is the same importance as creating. Everything is coming to a balance.
Where do you go (internally and externally/geographically) to find inspiration, or creative fuel for your work?
I find lots of inspiration in the simplicity of my everyday life: cup of tea in the morning, walking with my dog in new places, looking on the ground below me, spending some time alone.
I love northern nature a lot, it is humble yet powerful, and has lots of beauty and amazing color combinations. I have hundreds of photos on my phone with photos of tree trunks, stones, water patterns, and light in different stages from my walks. I am a very visual person, so the most creative I feel when I just focus on noticing things, and this could be everywhere I go. Sometimes I like going to museums with classic art collections and admire the attention to details, craftsmanship and color.
Usually I create from the state of mind when I am balanced, happy and grounded. I love collecting memories, feelings, it somehow combines with shapes and colors in my mind, and then something is being born.
In creating the spiral clay-art; can you share some of your thoughts from the process?
I really enjoyed the process. It felt very natural, very flowing. I feel like when you are using ancient techniques that people used thousands and thousands of years ago, it’s almost like you feel instantly connected with all the people living and creating before you.
The spiral itself is such a symbolic sign, creating it felt like a prayer, like a grounding practice, like being born again and coming back to yourself. I made several objects, and tried different methods: coming from the center outwards, going from the outwards to the center, creating the spiral with both hands simultaneously. Every way felt magical. It was more about the process itself rather than the result.
