Courtney Mattison
Courtney Mattison was born in 1985 and raised in the city of San Francisco. Mattison receive an interdisciplinary degree in Bachelor of Art in Marine Ecology and Ceramic Sculpture from Skidmore College in 2008. She continue her education with a Master of Arts degree in Environmental Studies from Brown University with coursework at Rhode Island School of Design in 2011. Courtney now resides and works in Los Angeles, California.
Mattison creates complex detail ceramic sculpture art inspired by the beauty of coral reefs and human cause threats. She raises awareness for the protection of ocean life, advocating policy makers and the public to conserve the seas. Her large ceramic sculpture art are commission for permanent collections to the U.S State Office's of Art in Embassies and the Nova Southeastern University Oceanographic Center, Mattison's art have feature in Science Magazine, CNN Indonesia, Oprah Magazine, Good Morning America, and Smithsonian Magazine. Her art work were exhibited at venues including American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Museum of Ceramic Art, and Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art.
​
Courtney have a deep passion for coral reefs and feel like she can relate to it. She admire small creatures that build big beautiful things like coral life. Courtney sees the threats caused by greenhouse gases, pollution, and overfishing and wants to cease it to help with sea life. She believes art can impact our emotions and reevaluate our values. Her art can shine light on the reefs and inspire us to save the ocean. She makes every effort to recycle and reduce waste and working with Mission Blue to support a global network of marine protected areas.
​
She hand build her work by creating massive in-depth detail ceramic sculpture to illustrate the fragility of reefs. Courtney pinches collection of clay and use chopsticks for texture to mimic the look of reefs. She uses calcium bicarbonate from seawater to form the skeletons that grows on top of the corals. Courtney then uses porcelain to help protect the structure of the reefs. The use of similar materials from coral reef is a message from her arts.
