Beneath The Surface
I walk on the beach at sunrise, transferring the ocean’s mysterious consciousness when I return to my ceramic studio. My SHE-Sea Wisdom sculptures are slip-cast ceramic female torsos that I hand detail with coral-inspired texture and shapes using layered clay, glaze, oxides, opal and 18k gold luster glaze.
The body’s opalescent form speaks to human and ocean connection, the deeply embedded coral patterns with gold accents symbolize nature’s preciousness. I layer the surface to represent a language of wisdom and experience which we must embrace to protect the life in our ocean and natural environment.
Bio
<p>Julia C R Gray, Cardiff by the Sea, California, uses mid-fire clay to cast and sculpt torsos with hand-painted images using layered underglazes & oxides. Her artwork portrays multilayered messages, on the vulnerability and strength of the ocean and women’s bodies. After working as a representational painter, Gray returned to University to focus on sculpture, completing a BFA (2014) with Honors from San Francisco Art Institute. Gray has been awarded scholarships and art grants. Her work is published on the cover of MODIFIED: Living As A Cyborg and in academic texts. She exhibits her work in civic galleries, juried exhibitions and museums and is collected nationally.</p>
