Marina Ortona was born in Libya, where she lived until the age of five. Forced to flee due to Arab persecution of the Jewish population, she took refuge in Rome with her family. After completing secondary school, she spent a short period in Jerusalem, where she learned Hebrew, a language that would resurface many years later in some of her works. In early adulthood, her artistic impulse found expression in jazz, and she performed as a pianist with orchestral groups throughout Italy. In 2009 she discovered a new lymphatic source: she fell in love with working in clay at the Scuola d’Arti Ornamentali e Mestieri del Comune di Roma, in via di San Giacomo. She was particularly drawn to sculptural modelling and wood sculpture. Since 2010 she has had her own workshop in Rome, where her practice has developed alongside her research. She has worked extensively on high-fire glazes based on mineral oxides, and has also used wood ash as an ancient tool to create glazes with a natural unique taste. She carries out continous research on matter and carefully observes the effects that derive from the interaction of the different elements of nature.