Sanctuary 39

About Sanctuary 39

In her Quebec studio, ceramic artist Paula Murray uses her own recipe for porcelain clay that she hand-shapes into beautiful and intricate pieces. Inspired by forms and patterns found in nature, Murray’s work often reflects the deeply spiritual connection between humans, culture and the natural world.
This series of wall-mounted pieces called, ‘Sanctuary’ references an ancient form of recording information-- both secular and sacred, on scrolls. The delicate porcelain scrolls sit on a walnut wood shelf. Each scroll has fine fissures created by inserting fibreglass filaments into the wet porcelain clay before firing.
“Every porcelain scroll I make writes its own story, in its own mysterious language. Each is a repository of knowledge that once fired, cannot be meddled with. How does this text appear? How do we interpret this language? What guides the advancement of civilization? What role does religious revelation have to play in the world today?” Paula Murray
She has received many honours and international awards and was elected into the RCA in 2006. Murray’s work has been gifted by the Canadian government to dignitaries such as US President George W. Bush and UN Secretary Kofi Annan. Murray’s pieces can be found in private and public collections including the Canadian Museum of Civilization, the Banff Centre, the Gardiner Museum, Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, the Official Residence of the Prime Minister in Canada and Canada House in London England.