Marie Connor’s artistic practice is born from her lifelong walk along the spiritual path. Using the foundational elements found in nature, wood, stones, metals, Marie’s work reflects the intersection of the universal forms and patterns found in nature and her decades-long prayer practice and study of world scriptures.
Marie is self-trained in art making and is guided by the mentorship of Sam Noto, Michael Sirvet and Craig Schaffer, all accomplished Washington, DC sculptors. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Theology and a master’s degree in Classical Acupuncture.
For decades, Marie devoted herself to the practice of healing through the use of energy medicines. Her vast experience in the healing arts helps her find balance between the cerebral, physical and ethereal worlds. Now, as an artist, Marie uses her hands to create physical representations of movements of energy.
Marie is a native of Maryland, growing up just outside of Baltimore. As a young adult, she had hopes of becoming a Catholic priest but the Church denied all women the priesthood. Her spiritual journey shifted to meditation, healing, and exploring other forms of spirituality. Always seeking the nature of her calling, she was more interested in deeper and more nuanced healing practices. This led her to “Five Element Acupuncture,” a form of acupuncture that is spirit-mind-body based and founded on ancient shamanic healing practices in Asia. Through this medicine, Marie was led to study Taoism, Buddhism and Hinduism.
Her fundamental prayer practice evolved over decades while she waited to hear the resonant tones of her life’s calling. In 2022, while on a retreat in the Catskills of New York, it finally came to her. She is an artist. It’s a long story for another time but the force of the message was so great that Marie dropped everything, went home and immediately changed her life. Within one week, she had met two teachers, converted her driveway into a studio and got to work. Three months later, she was accepted as a new artist among all the seasoned ones at Land Sculpture Studio in Beltsville, Maryland where she still works full time.
Marie lives in Silver Spring, Maryland with her wife, Barbara Glenfield, P.T., who is a nationally recognized trauma specialist and manual physical therapist. Marie and Barbara have 3 adult children.
Artist Statement
Through deeply personal spiritual experiences, including two near-death encounters, I create contemplative stone mosaics and murals that bridge the earthly and the divine. Working from my Silver Spring studio, my artistic practice emerged in 2020 as a culmination of decades spent in the healing arts and spiritual practices.
My site-specific installations, ranging from intimate 4-inch works to monumental walls, begin with meditative communion in each space. I marry sacred geometry with naturally occurring patterns, carefully selecting and positioning stones whose ancient formations speak to the cosmic order. My compositions balance organic irregularity with precise geometric forms, creating installations where light and shadow dance across meticulously crafted surfaces.
My choice of stone - one of Earth's most fundamental materials - serves as a meditation on time, transformation, and transcendence. Each piece invites viewers into a contemplative dialogue with the natural world and their inner landscape. Through my work, I create sanctuaries for reflection that speak to humanity's timeless search for meaning and connection with forces greater than ourselves.
My works can be found in private collections throughout the region, where they serve as portals for spiritual contemplation and reminders of nature's profound beauty.