About
Internationally recognized artist and ocean advocate Courtney Mattison hand-crafts intricate and large-scale ceramic sculptural works that visualize climate change through the fragile beauty of marine life. Her background in ocean conservation science and policy informs her art practice. Mattison’s site-specific work has been commissioned for permanent installation in hospitality, institutional, workplace, retail and residential settings across the U.S., Europe and Asia, including the U.S. Embassy in Indonesia and Christian Dior Couture at the Capri Camerelle Boutique in Italy. Her exhibition history includes solo shows at the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art and ICA San Diego/North, where she was Artist in Residence. Curated group exhibitions include “Iris Van Herpen. Sculpting the Senses” at Musée des Arts Décoratifs Paris, “Fragile Earth” at the Brandywine Museum of Art and “Beijing 2022” at the U.S. Ambassador’s Residence in China. In 2020, the United Nations Postal Administration published Mattison’s work on a stamp to commemorate Earth Day. Born in 1985, Mattison received an interdisciplinary Bachelor of Arts degree in marine ecology and ceramic sculpture from Skidmore College in 2008 and a Master of Arts degree in environmental studies from Brown University with thesis coursework at the Rhode Island School of Design in 2011. Her work has been featured on the covers of American Craft, Nature, Beaux Arts and Brown Alumni magazines, and by PBS, Smithsonian Magazine, Good Morning America, Oprah Magazine and BBC World Service. She lives and works in San Francisco.
ARTIST STATEMENT
I create enormous and intricate ceramic sculptural works that visualize climate change through the fragile beauty of marine life. My large-scale, meticulously designed wall reliefs are often composed of hundreds or thousands of individually hand-crafted and glazed stoneware and porcelain pieces that celebrate the diversity and complexity of invertebrate animals inhabiting coral reefs, such as corals, anemones, sponges and tunicates. I sculpt hollow forms by pinching together coils of clay and use simple tools to texture each piece, often poking thousands of holes to mimic the repetitive growth of coral colonies. My glazes reflect the vibrant tones and textures of a healthy reef, often juxtaposed against white glazes to emphasize the stark contrast of coral bleaching on reefs stricken by warming seas. The fragility and chemical makeup of my work parallels that of a living coral, as calcium carbonate is both a common glaze ingredient and the compound precipitated by corals from seawater to “sculpt” their stony skeletons. By bringing the seemingly-alien forms of marine invertebrates above the surface and into view, my work aims to spark a sense of wonder in viewers that inspires them to protect the natural environment upon which we all depend.
conservation
The production of ceramic sculptural work requires a significant amount of energy to fire kilns, power and ventilate the studio and transport pieces. Courtney makes every effort to recycle, reduce waste and water consumption, purchase bulk and local materials and only fire full kilns. She also works with conservation organizations such as Mission Blue, an initiative of the Sylvia Earle Alliance founded by legendary oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle to inspire “a sea change in public awareness and support for a global network of marine protected areas—Hope Spots—ranging from the deepest ocean to sunlit reefs and from the seamounts of the high seas to coastal seagrass meadows." By raising awareness about the importance of Hope Spots, Mission Blue inspires action to explore and protect the ocean.
