April 12th, 2010
My studio has moved, I am now at the new Compound space located at 1167 65th St. Oakland, CA 94608.
Come Join us this Saturday evening for the re-grand opening of the Compound GAllery and the Swee(t)art Drawing Gallery. The entire space has been in a state of transformation for the last month and now has finally come together for this event!
I will be showing new ink drawings in the Swee(t) art Gallery along with other sculptors who draw! Lucien Shapiro, Bruk Dunbar, and Carrissa Bowman will also be showing new works.
Obi Kaufmann had some very thoughtful questions for me about how I work, and where my imagery comes from.
From Obi’s site:
Crystal Morey’s strong yet delicate sculpture has only gotten more strong and more delicate as the years of gone on. As a fan of her work, I am thrilled to include her in the show this month at the Swee(t)Art Drawing Gallery. The show is called
Protoform and from her startlingly consitant and strong portfolio, the gallery will showcase her drawing, a mode of her work that she doesn’t regularly show. If you are a fan of
Crystal Morey’s Website than you do know her drawn work and if not, please visit us on the night of the reception, April 17th, 2010. I visited her new studio in the Compound’s new space on 65th in North Oakland and I asked her a couple of questions.
Her statement for the drawing show:
“In making the drawings for ‘Protoform’ I worked in an additive way. I collaged the drawings together by cutting out pieces and adding them for surface and texture.”
Obi: How did you come about to sculpture? Is it something you have always done, or were you a draw-er at first?
Crystal: I have been drawing for as long as I can remember. I grew up in the rural mountains of Northern California where I spent lots of time roaming the forests and building forts. In the evenings I would draw with my father, making elaborate stories about the animals and indigenous people that lived in the woods. This love for adventure and imagination fueled my desire to draw and has led to many other artistic passions.
I didn’t start sculpting until much later in life. Drawing is something that doesn’t require special equipment, only a surface and a tool to make marks. The way I work is no different, I have a surface and a tool to build with, the separation is in the process and the outcome. I think learning to draw first has only made my sculpture more informed, immediate, and inventive. Drawing and sculpting are both equally important to me. I have found that sculpting is more rewarding for me in its hands on visceral quality, it leaves a record of the maker that I haven’t been able to achieve through drawing.
Obi: I have noticed that your relationship to landscape, as a theme in your work is changing over the years. Am I right about this? Your figures exist in an environment now. Can you describe how that process came about and how you chose the imagery for the environment?
Crystal: I think my work has become less introspective in the past few years. For a long time I was very interested in emotion and focusing on the gesture, over exaggeration and animation in the body. I am still working with these ideas although in recent works I am looking at natural environments in relation to human emotion. I have always seen my figures in landscapes, although before, I only drew them. I am now making full environments, full narratives and landscapes.
The imagery for my landscapes are taken from objects, pictures, films, books, nature, and memory. I then reconstruct these images to make an environment that conveys the ideas and mood I want to show.
Obi: Sometimes I think your figures look like you. Is that right? Where do these people come from?
Crystal: Many people see the work as self-portrait, other people see the work first, and then on meeting me, can’t see the connection. For me, the figures don’t represent specific people, they represent feelings, situations, and states of being, and they are simply a vehicle to show an idea. I relate to humans and I am interested in both the relationships we have with each other and in nature.
Posted in Announcements, New Work, Openings, Studio
March 23rd, 2010
I have started a new body of work unlike anything I have made in the past! I am very excited! I am making full backgrounds and environments for my figures, it is liberating!
Posted in New Work, Studio
January 26th, 2010
My studio, The Compound, is moving and I am moving along with it! It has been hard to visualize myself in this new space so I have been thinking of exciting ways to motivate myself. The new space is a massive, cavernous, warehouse with high ceilings and huge windows. I have decided the best option is to build a free standing structure for my studio inside. I am not completely sure what it will look like, although, that is what makes this endeavor an exciting adventure.
In my mind the perfect studio would be half way between a cabin and an elaborate fort or tree-house. It would be small in size and made with all kinds of precious, found materials like windows, doors, and woods of all shapes and sizes. This is what I would like to make, a magical, whimsical, shanty-cabin where I can make my work. I would also like to use the structure as a project space to show friends work or maybe have a small art or craft sales!
We shall see what I come up with! While I have been thinking, I have also been looking at Tumbleweeds Tiny Homes, you must take a look!
Posted in Announcements, Studio
July 15th, 2009
This Long Road is a show of individual works as well as collaborative pieces, made by Ben Belknap, Derek Weisberg, and Crystal Morey. All three artists were schoolmates at the California College of Arts and Crafts where a relationship began rooted in the love of figurative sculpture. Each artist has their own interpretation and style of the body as well as emotional content behind the work. In “This Long Road’ the artists will each represent their own work, and then explore the wonder, innovation, and trials of working together on a larger project.
Opening: Saturday, September 12Â
Afternoon Tea: Sunday, September 20, 3-6pm
Closing Reception: Friday, October 2, 7-10
I will be documenting the collaborative pieces in progress and posting them here. Enjoy!
Day One: July, 13 2009
Posted in Announcements, Friends, New Work, Studio
July 13th, 2009
It looks like we have a home for our collaboration, just a short amount of time to make them! I like nothing more than a time restraint! We are making 10 frames by August 1st, sculpted, glazed, fired, and painted! The sculpting must be done within the next few days so they can dry. I’ll keep you posted!
Posted in Announcements, Friends, New Work, Studio
July 6th, 2009
I have been working on some collaborations with wonderful artist, Lena Reynoso. The process started in a very organic manner, our studios are right next store, Lena is a wonderful painter, and making sculptural frames seemed like a great project. First I make the frame out of clay, then I add imagery that I like and that starts to build a narrative. The interesting part comes in how Lena responds to the piece — she has studied, and has extensive knowledge of Indonesian and early American folklore.
I will post more pictures as we make them!
Posted in Announcements, Friends, New Work, Studio
July 4th, 2009
I am in a three person show in September at the Compound Gallery and am working on some new pieces! I will be showing with two long time friends, and school mates, Derek Weisberg and Ben Belknap. I am really looking forward to it!
Posted in Friends, New Work, Studio
Obi: I have noticed that your relationship to landscape, as a theme in your work is changing over the years. Am I right about this? Your figures exist in an environment now. Can you describe how that process came about and how you chose the imagery for the environment?
