Bio
Mia “Shaw” Castrina is a ceramic artist based in the Pacific Northwest. They have been making ceramic sculptures for the last 7 years, creating environmentally adjacent formations out of clay. Their most recent works are abstract sculptures based on nature, its formations, and natural designs. They are interested in how erosion through water and wind affects the environment around us and results in forming beautiful arrangements.
Castrina graduated from Whitman College with a BA in Studio Art and minors in Dance and Sociology in 2025. They studied abroad in Florence, Italy, with Syracuse University’s Florence Studio Art program for four months in 2024. Their current focus is around studio practices, teaching workshops and creating a new body of work. Future plans to include an MFA program in the coming years.
They are currently exploring creations that resemble nature, the abstract, and the intuitive.
Artist Statement
Growing up in the Pacific Northwest has guided my being to create art that resembles what I see, sense and feel around me. By working with my hands, clay and raw materials, I ground myself in the earth, her beauties, disasters, and ever-changing form.
From the beginning, I have been creating environmentally-adjacent ceramic sculptures out of clay. By following my intuitive processes and personal experiences with nature, I can create formations that resemble the wild and natural while also remaining ambiguous.
The work I create is not defined by absolutes. Its biomorphic foundations allow ongoing exploration of the environment: its trees, plants, rocks, waters, and how human existence impacts nature’s creations.
