Welcome to
the EQUILUX Studio
The studio is where material, technique, and equine insight come together. Every sculpture holds the complexity of its making: the imagination behind the design, the labor of assembly; the hours of reshaping; the precision of the digital workflow; and the sensitivity of a lifelong horsewoman who knows exactly how each form should feel. In this space, art isn’t rushed; it’s revealed, piece by piece, until the sculpture carries the soul and spirit of the horses that define Maria’s work.
Creating these horses is a demanding, deeply tactile process that blends traditional handcraft with selective digital innovation. Sculpting involves more than carving and shaping—Maria often manipulates paper-thin surfaces of cherry or bass wood and leather, coaxing them into anatomies that can hold expression, poise, and action. Adding or subtracting even the slightest curvature can shift the entire sentiment of a piece. Every adjustment requires hours of testing, reworking, and returning to the quiet discipline of feeling the form through the material.
A Process Built on Precision and Feel
Maria’s process spans both hand and digital tools, each chosen for its precision and ability to serve the sculpture’s movement and integrity. Rhino 5 by McNeel & Associates supports her 3D modeling, while Autodesk Fusion 360 handles parts of layout and preparation. Certain elements are machined on a Roland CNC for exactness before she refines each part by hand. Throughout the studio you’ll also find DeWalt, Proxxon, and Dremel tools—used for planing, cutting, sanding, fine drilling, and shaping the delicate edges of each piece. For finishing, she turns to Natural Pigment oil paints and Talens watercolors, layering tone and depth until the horse feels gently alive.
Tools of a
Modern–Traditional Practice
Articulation and the Challenge of Movement
Some sculptures, especially those with highly expressive heads or complex neck placement, undergo multiple cycles of assembly and disassembly. A single decision about tilt or angle can influence the whole character of the horse. One sculpture was taken apart entirely after its first version, then rebuilt with newly designed and milled components to achieve greater stability and truer expression. Even the leather itself—reshaped again and again—must remain supple enough to allow natural articulation as the sculpture shifts between poses. It is work that demands equal parts patience, engineering, and a horsewoman’s intuition.
The Beauty of Eagle River
Maria’s studio sits high in the mountains of Eagle River, Alaska, where open sky, shifting weather, and sweeping views are integral to her creative process. The space is both refuge and workshop — a place to relax, appreciate and become invigorated. Surrounded by ridgelines, changing seasons, and the energy of the landscape, Maria draws constant inspiration from the world just outside her door. That sense of place — vivid, elemental, and fluid — becomes part of every sculpture she creates.
