Shirley Wagner

In anticipation of tonight’s basketball game ..Just had to pull out the UofA clothing I was licensed to create from 1993. Bear down, Arizona! , Arizona basketball

Wall relief now on view at Medicine Man Gallery in Tucson, Arizona. I explore surface, shadow, and form using hand-dyed canvas.

FiberArt TextileArt HandDyed CanvasArt ReliefSculpture ContemporarySculpture MixedMediaArt SurfaceAndForm ArtInTucson GalleryExhibition ArtCollectors SouthwestArt AmericanArt StudioPractice MaterialExploration ArtOnTheWall ContemporaryArtist ShirleyWagnerArt AbstractRelief ArtExhibition ArtInContext SculpturalRelief ProcessDrivenArt TextureInArt LightAndShadow

When the composition is honest,
the work knows how to speak.

privatecollection galleryart galleryartist artinvestment bluechipart sculpturalform modernart minimalart abstractart artanddesign artwithintention formandspace materialdriven handcraftedart timelessdesign artmarket curatedart artistrepresented artforsale investinart artworld museumquality seriousart studioart visualpoetry

Steamed, bent, and woven into space.
One of my early wall sculptures,
where wood becomes gesture
and light completes the form.

I return to the studio over and over.
To small, handheld wonders.
Little secrets in the palm of my hand.

I’ve been exploring jewelry made with meteorite shards — tiny pieces of the cosmos you can hold in your hand. Using a material that once traveled through space makes me think about how art can live on the body and start new conversations. It’s not just decoration, but something meaningful to think about.

When I create body sculpture with natural materials, I’m not inventing history. I’m listening to something ancient that never stopped speaking to me. All my travels, all my life’s experiences and all the new layers I grow of myself on a daily basis are always present, just waiting to step forward. .