Crystal Morey

Crystal Morey

Education:

2006

    BFA in Ceramics, California College of the Arts, Oakland California

I grew up in a small town in the Sierra Nevada foothills of California. Living so close to nature filled my early years with an appreciation for the natural world and gave me an understanding of plant and animal life cycles. I spent my free time swimming in the river, climbing trees, playing in the snow, and exploring and building forts out in the forest. These early experiences filled my life with joy, imagination, and a tendency for inward contemplation.

My experience of living in this place is what inspires my work today. I am interested in both how people are affected by their environment and how they effect the environment. I now live in Oakland, California and the urban landscape in my daily life is a stark contrast to the mountains and trees I grew up in. Our days are filled with so many modern amenities and I wonder if what we have is worth it. Today every action has a reaction we can see: in climate change, de-forestation, ocean acidity, and the hunting of animals. All of these actions are causing havoc and leading us to an unsustainable environment.

These are the ideas I keep in my mind when I am making sculpture. I am interested in the effects these difficult situations have on the human psyche and how we respond to them. I try to show the stresses in our cohabitation through making sculptures of humans, animals, the environment and the delicate dependencies we share.

Research plays a distinct role in the concepts behind my work. My research gives my work a starting point and a foundation that I am able to build upon. I try to create reinterpretations that are more relevant to the narrative I am trying to convey and find a way to really relate an idea with beauty and emotion.

I am interested in how human advancements in technology, agriculture, and urbanization have imposed stress on natural ecosystems and the species that live in them. Through my sculptures I try to humanize these ideas and present them in a way that is accessible, interesting, and conversation provoking.