Maryanne Wick

Maryanne Wick is a visual artist, born in Sydney, Australia. Graduating from the National Art School in 2001, she left Sydney in the same year to live and work as an artist in South Korea and China. The five years immersed in North Asian art and culture, and her travels since, have proved invaluable to her practice and continue to influence her work today.

Reflecting the cultural, historical and natural riches of her experience, Wick will intuitively make a connection to her sense of place, then quietly respond. Primarily a tonal painter with a focus on still life, she draws attention to the exquisite and the unusual, through her painting, drawing, printmaking and collage. Her compositions are formed and flavoured by handmade ceramics, finds from nature, historical artefacts and various collectibles acquired over time. By exploring the diversity of the still life subject, Wick accepts that her compositions will always be evolving.

In 2008, Wick was described by Australian art critic John McDonald as 'an emerging painter with a subtle, distinctive touch'. In 2016, Canberra-based art critic Peter Haynes said of Wick's painting 'her palette is always appropriate and helps to imbue the stasis of meditation'. In his 2022 essay about the artist, Hendrik Kolenberg writes, 'Her approach to subject and to materials reveals a search for the poetic, for mystery and surprise'.

In recent years, Wick’s still life paintings have included the endearing antics and the plight of native Australian lizards and birds. Her work from her time in Spain (2017-19), based on ancient Iberian artefacts, reveal the beauty of imperfection, created by the impacts of time. This work continues today.

Wick has lived and worked in Sydney, London, Beijing, Seoul, Hong Kong and Spain. Artist residencies include Red Gate Gallery in Beijing (2001), The Bundanon Trust in NSW (2008 & 2010) and, in 2018, Wick was appointed resident artist at the Museo Municipal de Valdepeñas in Castilla La Mancha, which subsequently led to two exhibitions in Spain and the inclusion of her work in the Museo's collection.

An awarded artist, including the Macarthur Award for painting at the 2023 Fisher's Ghost Art Awards, Wick has held twenty solo exhibitions in Australia, South Korea and in Spain. Her work has been exhibited in more than one hundred group exhibitions and art fairs, including an invitation in 2025 to exhibit at the prestigious Herald X Inspired Art Fair in Seoul and the Seoul Artist's Festival. Wick's art is held in private and public collections, both in Australia and overseas.

Still Life Paintings from Iberia

Before the Romans, there were the Iberians. In 2018, Maryanne Wick was appointed resident artist at the Museo Municipal de Valdepeñas in Castilla La Mancha; located in the heart of Spain. During that year, she created numerous drawings at the Museo from its unique collection of 3000-year-old Iberian artefacts. 

‘I began by simply observing and making small studies of the artefacts that particularly resonated with me. This collection was diverse, being made up of vessels, jewellery, rare Iberian stamps, toys and numerous pieces that we recognise and still use today.

The museum’s chief restorer provided valuable knowledge about the collection and its origins, which in turn triggered my imagination. My aim was to tell their story of endurance and to capture their fragile beauty, created by the impacts of time. I hoped that my work could become another step in their journey. 

The nearby archaeological site of Cerro de las Cabezas, from where the artefacts were unearthed, revealed a spiritual sense of place and the opportunity to envision the ancient Iberians who once lived there. The changing seasons and weather determined the steep climb to the hilltop, to sit and draw on the site’s ancient oppidum walls and to take in the view of the surrounding La Mancha plains.’ 

Wick’s drawings became oil paintings and monoprints and subsequently led to two exhibitions in Spain and inclusion in the Museo’s collection. In 2022 she exhibited this work at the Campbelltown Arts Centre and a second series in Melbourne in 2024. ‘Still Life Paintings from Iberia’ includes original work from Spain and new works.