Contemporary Porcelain Wall Art / Hanging Vessel by Ceramic Artist, Paula Murray

Contemporary Porcelain Wall Art / Hanging Vessel by Ceramic Artist, Paula Murray Contemporary porcelain wall art called, 'Passages III', in the shape of a canoe, by world renowned ceramic artist, Paula Murray. Transformation is at the heart of Paula Murray’s practice. Porcelain is an ideally responsive material for exploring her themes of trauma/ resilience, control/ submission, and the dynamism of the visible/invisible. Her process results in forms, surface tensions, and colours, whose beauty invites a visceral/visual understanding. "Transition is a series of vessels that began their life in the form of a canoe. A vessel that can silently carry us to uncharted waters. This delicate vessel is an expression of the invisible boundary between the physical and spiritual realms of existence and the sense of wonder evoked by life’s mysteries. What I find exceptional about this piece is the poignant relationship between the inside and the outside. The tension between protection and liberation." - Paula Murray Murray’s work has been gifted by the Canadian government to dignitaries such as US President George W. Bush and UN Secretary Kofi Annan. Murray’s pieces can be found in private and public collections including the Canadian Museum of Civilization, the Banff Centre, the Gardiner Museum, Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, the Official Residence of the Prime Minister in Canada and Canada House in London England. Born in Ottawa, Paula Murray studied science at the University of Ottawa, ceramics at Sheridan College and completed two residencies at The Banff Centre before launching a successful career. Elected to the International Academy of Ceramics (2017), she has received multiple creation grants from The Canada Council and CALQ for her distinctive work. Living in Gatineau Park since 1980, her full-time studio practice has been inspired by her close relationship with nature, and the years spent sailing between Canada and South America raising her two children. Her discovery of the Baha’i Faith and ongoing study of spiritual writings inspire many of the themes explored in her work. Her practice embraces both discrete objects as well as installations. She exhibits nationally and internationally receiving awards and honourable mentions in prestigious exhibitions in Canada, Italy, France, China, Korea, Taiwan, Japan, Portugal, Romania and the USA. Public art commissions include “Nautilus”, a suspended porcelain sculpture for Ottawa City Hall. Public collections include the World Korean Ceramic Foundation Museum, Yingge Ceramic Museum Taiwan, Jingdezhen Ceramics University China, Museum of Ceramics, Faenza Italy, Canada House, London, UK, Racine Museum USA, and in Canada the Ottawa Art Gallery, Museum of History, Global Affairs the Art Bank. Porcelain Canada, 2021