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Clay Art Center is proud to present Rene Murray: Architectural Dreams, a solo exhibition featuring clay paintings and wall sculpture inspired by Italian architecture by New York clay artist Rene Murray. The exhibit, held in the Choy Gallery,will run from October 3 – 24, 2009 with a Reception on Sunday, October 4 from 3-5pm. Additionally, in the upstairs Henry’s Project space, we will be hosting Ginny Waters: Enlightened Beings, featuring porcelain lanterns and mugs by local clay artist Ginny Waters. Admission is free.
 Rene Murray, who occupied a studio space at the Clay Art Center in the mid-1960’s and currently works as a studio artist in Brooklyn, states “All of my work has its foundation in the age-old techniques and conventions of the potter. Every sculptural piece that I make is based on the vessel form. Conceived of and built from the inside out, they each become, upon completion, a type of clay vessel.
“There is a flow in my work from one piece to the next piece and from one series to the next. My creative process is circular, always moving and taking in new ideas and inspirations while keeping in view all that has gone before. The sculptures that I have been making for the past ten years are architectural and have been inspired by the buildings of Brooklyn and Italy. I have completed a series of free-standing ceramic objects that are reminiscent of the hilltown fortresses of Tuscany. These pieces are meant to evoke the feeling of these towns — their glorious exterior beauty in contrast with what I suspect were cold, dark interiors.
“For this site specific show at Clay Art Center, I used these three-dimensional hilltowns as a starting point. I first imagined how the city landscapes inside of these exterior walls would appear, and then rendered my vision as clay paintings in their own ceramic frames. Then I distorted the streets and alleyways in order to morph the solid and real hilltowns into surreal architectural dreamscapes.
“I pushed the series to its conclusion by combining the two elements of the hilltowns, creating objects that are mounted on a vertical surface and resemble paintings, yet also extend outward and appear to be free-standing. The viewer would see actual depth alongside an illusion of depth.”
Henry's Project:
 GINNY WATERS: Enlightened Beingsfeaturing porcelain lanterns and mugs by local clay artist Ginny Waters
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