Line and Color
Courtney Martin

MudFire Gallery's exhibition Line and Color asks what happens when drawing and painting departs from a two dimensional canvas format into the third dimension, etched permanently on functional and sculptural ceramics. The ten artists included in Line and Color - Annette Gates, Cara Gilbert, Courtney Martin, Courtney Murphy, Diana Fayt, Jay Jensen, Julia Galloway, Kelly Sullivan, and Liz Zlot Summerfield - stand out in the field of studio ceramics with their mastery of this exhibit's namesake formal design elements. By redefining the painted surface, these artists create fine art located at the intersection of painting, sculpture, and utility.

Line and Color is on view at MudFire Gallery April 5 - May 3, 2008. The opening night reception will be held from 5-9pm on Saturday, April 5, 2008.

Courtney Martin Artist Statement

When I sit down at my wheel to make pots, I think about how they will be used. Will this bowl be the right form for black bean chili? Is this pitcher best for sweet tea or maybe just ice water? How will cherry tomatoes look presented in my pottery? It is exciting to me that I may create something as intimate as the cup for your hot chocolate.

When I think about how I will glaze the pots, I often imagine my decorations as dressing the ware. Where I will put dots, where I will lay lines. How will the pattern wrap itself around the pot?

After the pots are all gussied up, I load them into the kiln. I love contemplating the flames circling the pottery, and placing the pots where they need be so that the finished ware looks and feels desirable. My aim is to make pots with integrity, which continue to be sweet and joyful.

Courtney Martin Bio

Courtney Erin Martin creates original pottery in the mountains of Western North Carolina. She was raised in New York and has always had an interest in art. She learned to make pots while attending the University of New Mexico where she obtained a BFA in ceramics.

Since attending the University, Courtney has studied with and learned from many talented potters from all over the world. She spent four years working with and for many potters, while developing her voice through her pots. Courtney exhibits her work regularly as she shows with several galleries and is in many private collections. In 2006 she was awarded the Regional Artists Project Grant through a collaboration of arts councils in Western North Carolina.

Using throwing and handbuilding techniques and her own glazes, Courtney generates lively and fun pottery for use.