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Paula Murray | Episode 1086
Paula Murray studied science at the University of Ottawa, Canada, ceramics at Sheridan College, and completed two residencies at the Banff Centre before embarking on a successful career. Elected to the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts (2006) and the International Academy of Ceramics (2017), she has received several Canada Council and CALQ grants for her distinctive work. Paula’s full-time studio practice is inspired by her close relationship with nature and the years spent sailing between Canada and South America while raising her two children. Her ongoing study of spiritual writings inspires many of the themes explored in her work.
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The story as it originates in you, did you discover the metaphors as you played with your ceramics, or did you work towards the idea because you had the idea in your head that you wanted to create the cracks and the brokenness?
I tend to think about an idea and write down words and then try to find what shape is that emotion. What does that look like in a form? That feeling that I am trying to express. And then ideas tend to build on each other and I think one of the most challenging things as a visual artist is that we are often asked to put things into words when our medium is visual art. I don’t want to shy away from that, but it is not an area that I have felt the most confident in. I am not really a natural storyteller. But I do like to tell stories with the work.
Do you give any prompts? Are you trying to guide people to your original intent?
I think by titling the work you are giving it a certain framework for people to approach it. I really enjoy having the opportunity to have direct conversations with people because I find conversation can go in very interesting ways. Very often when you work is presented at an exhibition or in a gallery it has to just stand on its own and people and people will have to respond. That’s always a question of all that’s going on in your head and is actually that getting through in the work? I think that’s something as artists we have to be asking ourselves.
When you see people interact with your work, do you tend to see that they catch the story?
Yes, very much so. Very much so, and often people will bring insights to me that I haven’t thought about it in those ways either.
When a patron purchases a piece and brings them into our own home are you able to give them some directions that could help them still capture the idea that’s behind it?
I think when someone gets to the point that they bring it into their own home they have taken ownership of that relationship. There is a conversation going on between them and that piece, that’s why they are bringing it into their home. That’s really special to me. I think that’s what we all aspire to.
Is there a piece that stands out to you as the piece that told your personal story better than any other piece?
I think the piece that I was referring to, the You are Me piece, was a very personal piece. I have done other installations that have been responses to a theme. I had an opportunity to go to the arctic and I did a piece called, Who is Speaking, Who is Listening. The You are Me piece was very personal because it does have to do with how I really firmly believe that we are connected to each other and are seamless.
Contact
paulamurray.ca
Instagram: @paulamurrayceramics
