Born in 1959 Marie Foley studied Fine Art in The Crawford College of Art, Cork, Goldsmiths, University of London, Cardiff College of Art and was awarded an MA in 1987. Her sculptures are composed of elements which are carved in yew, bog oak, ash, sycamore, beech, holly… elements modeled in porcelain and hand-worked or salvaged elements in metal, glass or stone. Her artistic practice is inspired by her love of nature. Her language is one of symbolic form - form which becomes a vehicle for the spiritual in nature.
Her work has been exhibited in Ireland, UK, France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Holland, Hungary, Poland, Finland, Canada, USA and Japan. She was the first Irish Artist to have a solo Exhibition in the Irish Museum of Modern Art.
Public commissions include Kilkenny Castle, The Office of Public Works, National Universities of Ireland Presentation to President Mary Robinson, Business to arts Awards, Dun Laoghaire-Rathdrum County Council and Wilton Library, Cork.
She has received several Irish Arts Council awards. Other awards include International Ceramic Award, Canada Council award and The New Horizons Award from the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. She is a member of Aosdána since 1996.