Maria Burke » Ohio Artist Registry

Maria Burke pulls from a decade and a half of experience working in the museum exhibits field. She received her BFA in Biomedical Art from the Cleveland Institute of Art — studying zoology, biology, and techniques in scientific illustration. Her work draws from her experience in visual design, illustration, and museum taxidermy. She is driven by her deep love and passion for native wildlife and natural history. Her work seeks to foster in others the same appreciation and curiosity of our diverse and complex home. She currently resides in the Hocking Hills region of South East Ohio, where she owns and operates Stomatolite LLC, an art and design studio that focuses on sharing the beauty and importance of our natural world. Stromatolite, being the fossilized formations created by cyanobacteria, the oldest fossil evidence of life on earth — a modern reminder of our origins and the tangible link that connects all living things. Her gouache paintings of native wildlife have been shown at nature centers across the state of Ohio — while her taxidermy and wildlife sculpture have won awards at the Ohio Taxidermy Championships. Maria’s illustrations and designs have been featured in places such as the Cincinnati Museum Center, Wayne National Forest, Holden Arboretum, Cleveland Museum of Natural History,  Cleveland Botanical Gardens, and The University of Akron.