Sandra Murray is a graphic designer by day, and a potter whenever she can get into the studio. She brings a design sensibility to her ceramic work, celebrating 3-dimensional form and textural interest over surface ornamentation—with the added elements of pine needles and natural fibers.
In 2017, she was lucky enough to spend several days in South Carolina learning the traditional craft of pine needle basket weaving. She was immediately taken with the aesthetic and practical contrast between pine needles and clay as raw materials, and found the distinct skills required to bring the materials together in one form to be both synergistic and challenging.
Sandra is mindful of the considerable energy and toxicity involved in producing modern ceramic art and has lately been exploring alternate firing and finishing techniques (such as obvarra and single firings) to that end.
Sandra lives and works on Mt. Tamalpais in Marin County, California. She is a member of the Artists of Mt. Tam.
