Today we’d like to introduce you to Courtney Ryan.
Hi, Courtney, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’ve been making sculptural ceramics for almost ten years, professionally. I completed my BFA in 2013, and then my MFA in 2018. So, as a whole, for over 20 years– beginning back when I first became hooked after taking a ceramics class as an elective in high school. Working with my hands just suits my personality. I’ve always been a maker. I find joy in creating things and have taken that passion into my career as a Professor of Foundation Studies at SCAD University in Midtown Atlanta. I teach classes on Color Theory, 2D Design, and 3D Design primarily on campus. In my personal work as an artist, I make sculptural ceramics.
My latest body of work is a tactile examination of textures, colors, and facades found in nature which I mimic and transform into imaginary floral-esque clay sculptures. It’s a theme that I’ve been interested in for a few years now that continues to evolve and currently has resulted in sculptures that are evocative of seed pods, fungi, fallen wood, and even some corals. I spend a great deal of time adding textures to the surface of the form, which I find to be a cathartic part of the creating process of working with clay. After they are sculpted, I like to paint on the glazes, layering colors one on top of each other and thinking about the chemistry of the colorants and the reactions that might occur. It’s all just such a wonderful experience for my very process-driven mindset as a creative thinker.
Currently, I have a studio space at Callanwolde Fine Arts Center located on Briarcliff Road. I’ve been working on some great pieces that I’ve been firing in the gas kiln, raku kiln, and electric kilns at the pottery studio. I’ll also be firing pieces in the soda kiln in the coming weeks, which can result in lovely surface alternations on various clay bodies. So, I am looking forward to seeing the results from such a radically different kiln atmosphere.
All right, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story. Has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
In recent years, things have significantly smoothed out in comparison to the transitional period between graduating from undergrad and starting graduate school. I spent many weekends going to art fairs and paying booth fees trying to sell my work, but the payoff didn’t seem like it would be sustainable, and I had my doubts. No one wanted sculptural pieces, they wanted mugs or plates and that’s just not my style. I was making work to get by, but I was not happy.
Graduate school put me into a different mindset. After three years of learning to teach, narrowing my focus, and transitioning from the art markets into the gallery scene, my perspective changed. Some people don’t need an MFA, they really don’t, but I did. I needed the reset and the change of pace, so I see my time at graduate school as a pivotal part of my personal growth as an artist.
I now feel fortunate to be where I am in Atlanta and to have opportunities awarded to me because of my efforts. I’m always learning and don’t take anything for granted or consider it luck. Every artist must make their dream a reality and I continue to work on that every day in my career.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
As a sculptural ceramic artist, my work is inspired by an affinity for the florae of the natural world and clay’s ability to mimic textures and colors from that environment into abstract, imagined pieces. I’m such a nature buff that it’s hard not to notice the fungi-inspired features of my work regarding their color and occasionally shape, as well as the tree bark textures and organic elements they contain.
Clay is a versatile medium that can be reclaimed over and over, altered in unique ways, and made to be both artistically sculptural, as well as utilitarian. I’m more interested in sculptural qualities through the process of hand-building, but I do also alter forms using the wheel. The surface of the clay can be highly textured or glass smooth depending on the finishes applied, and for me, that’s just another exciting part of the process of working in such a unique medium. Every artist can sculpt something different, and I tend to make things that cause people to say “oh, what is that?” as they lean in to take a closer look.
As for a little history about me, I received my MFA in Ceramics and Sculpture from Georgia Southern University in 2018, and my BFA in Studio Arts from Columbus State University in 2013. While at Georgia Southern, I was awarded College Arts Association’s (CAA) Professional-Development Fellowship in Visual Arts Honorable Mention and the ThinkTank10 Emerging Educator Fellowship from Integrative Teaching International (ITI) which helped to skyrocket my career into the broader art scene. I’ve shown and presented my work nationally in galleries such as the MINT Gallery of Atlanta, the Delaware Contemporary, the Columbus College of Art and Design, and the University of Georgia, as well as internationally in a group show at Aalto University in Helsinki, Finland, and during a residency at WIT in Waterford, Ireland. I also mentored students at Florida State University as a Fine Arts Specialist for a year and a half prior to moving to Atlanta, GA where I became a Professor of Foundation Studies at SCAD, Savannah College of Art and Design.
I’m always trying to get my work seen by a broader audience as part of my studio practice, and I’m happy to share that I will have some of my most recent works at the Westobou Gallery in Augusta, GA for their annual Seeds Exhibition, which runs until December. I’ll also be presenting and doing a workshop on making clay sculptures at the Tri-State Sculptors Conference in Spartanburg, SC. Participants at the conference can make a hand-built piece during the demonstration and see my process behind the scenes.
So maybe we end by discussing what matters most to you and why?
Being true to yourself. For a long time, I was making work that I thought other people wanted, work that I thought would make me money, or work that I thought I needed to make to be on-trend. Now I realize that none of that will ultimately make you happy, so you’ve just got to make the stuff that you want to make. Sure, paying the bills is an important part, but if you’re happy with what you make the financial side of it becomes a second thought.
I know I make wildly unique sculptures that aren’t for everyone, and that’s ok. I’m unapologetic about my work now and that’s something that comes with time, I think. You’ve got to learn to be yourself.
Contact Info:
- Courtney N. Ryan, Atlanta, GA
- Website: www.courtneynryan.com
- Instagram: @courtneynryan
Copy Editor Credit:
- Gabrielle Lavatai, Madrid, Spain
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabrielle-lavatai/
- Email: gabrielle.lavatai@gmail.com
