
Courtney Mattison
Born: 1985
Hometown: San Francisco
Based in: San Francisco
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.
Courtney Mattison In The Studio
More About Courtney Mattison
What inspires you?
I love coral reefs for being exotic, diverse and often venomous. Sadly, coral reefs are so threatened by climate change that scientists agree they may cease to function before the end of this century. Art has the power to bring the beauty and peril of coral reefs above the surface and into view, and can inspire us to protect the ocean.
Describe your creative process.
My wall reliefs are often composed of hundreds of individual pieces that I sculpt on a meticulously measured map on the floor of my San Francisco studio. I use simple tools to texture each piece by hand, often imprinting thousands of holes to mimic the repetitive growth of coral colonies. Pieces are finished and fired using a colorfast palette of glazes that I have developed to reflect the vibrant tones and textures of healthy marine invertebrate communities, often juxtaposed against white glazes to emphasize the stark contrast of coral bleaching on reefs stricken by climate change.
What are 3 words that best describe your work?
Intricate, natural, large-scale
Who are some artists that have influenced your work?
Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka, Ernst Haeckel, Tara Donovan, Andy Goldsworthy, Maya Lin
What is the most important tool when creating your work?
A cluster of about ten thick wires attached to a wooden handle helps me make coral textures
What is the best piece of advice you have been given?
Pressure makes diamonds.
Where do you go for inspiration?
Under water! I scuba dive on coral reefs as often as I can, and I always bring a camera.