Maria Sparsis

Founder & Charter Member 

Maria Sparsis, born on the island of Cyprus to a Cypriot father and a British mother, has lived and worked in Wales, Scotland, New England, and, for the past 18 years, Florida. A Marine Biologist by training and a scientist by inclination, she has a deep commitment to nature in all its forms.

Maria is a co-founder, Board Vice-Chair, and Resident Artist at Indian River Clay, where she plays a vital role in engineering, marketing, and instruction. She also teaches pottery classes and serves as an adjunct biology professor at Indian River State College.

Her journey into ceramics was sparked by her love of tea and an ever-growing collection of teapots. She is a part-owner of Tea and Chi, a premium loose-leaf tea company in downtown Vero Beach, and a former owner of Flametree Gallery.

Maria has studied ceramics with esteemed artists such as Sean Clinton, Nancy Blair, Glenda Taylor, Charlie Riggs, Nan Jacobson, Walford Campbell, Fong Choo, Ying Zhou, Akira Satake. Her work, often functional and tea-related, is infused with both her deep appreciation of nature and a playful sense of humor.

Her pieces have been exhibited at The Armory, The Sparta Teapot Museum, The Fish House Art House, and the Vero Beach Museum of Art. Her work can be found at Flametree Clay Art Gallery in Vero Beach and Fitch and Fellows Gallery in Oxfordshire.