Meet Keavy Murphree

Hi Keavy, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I came back to ceramics a little later in life. I initially fell in love with the medium in a high school art class. I’ve always been creative, but there was something about clay that really resonated with me. A true passion was ignited and I couldn’t shake it. I opted to study industrial design at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, thinking I could apply my sculptural instincts to functional objects and, you know, get a job when I graduated. After college, I spent some time in New York, then Florida, finally landing in Nashville, where I spent the next decade working in product design and starting a family.

All the while, however, I kept dreaming of working in clay. It had been on my mind now for 16 years! When I was busy working full time and raising our two small children, it felt nearly impossible to take time out to noodle around with clay.

A blessing in disguise came when I was laid off in late 2015. I started doing freelance design work and finally, space had opened up in my life to dream again. Life slowed down to become more intentional about how I spent my time. As my children grew older, I wanted to be a model for going after what I really wanted in life, without compromise. After grieving the untimely loss of my brother for many years I finally realized that life is too short to not pursue my passions!

In 2016, I signed up for a ceramics class through the Nashville public arts program to knock the rust off and gain access to studio space.

Over the past few years, I’ve been building technical skills, moving into larger studio spaces along the way, and spending more time and energy to become a better artist. In that time, my work has also grown in concept, quality, and scale.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It took me a long time to really trust my gut instincts and follow the path of what excites me the most, to prioritize my creative impulses, and let that lead the way. It’s an ongoing process, to be honest. I have so many ideas, but limited time, so try to be intentional as possible. Like anyone, I have my moments of self-doubt and second-guessing myself. Being self-employed is great, however, it can be challenging to balance focusing time on the creative space with other responsibilities. Staying motivated and excited about all the other tasks of running a business can also be a challenge.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I create ceramic sculptures. It all started in seeing the delight in a classmate’s eyes when I created a little beastly figure a few years ago. I struggled for a long time to feel like my work had a place in the world. It was when I saw her light up over this little thing I made, that I realized the power of my own creativity. It makes me happy to see things I create lighten someone’s mood. As my work has evolved, so have my interests. For the past couple of years, I’ve been on a kick making wall sculptures and vessels with faces on them. I used to create these little sketches of faces that I thought were quite ugly and a bit scary. Nonetheless, I kept making them so I decided to sketch them on some holiday ornaments a few years ago. I was surprised and delighted that people liked them and described them as “cute or “beautiful.’ It was actually super encouraging and personally affirming. It got me thinking about how society defines beauty and how limiting those definitions can be. As my body of work continues to grow, I hope to spread a message of inclusivity. There is someone for everyone and an audience out there for just about anything. The rewards are worth taking the time to explore personal interests.

My work is hand-built, which means I use coils, slabs, or extruded components to put pieces together. I often use slump or hump molds which a slab of clay is draped over and then combine these shapes. I carve or hand-sculpt smaller components and sometimes create plaster press molds for smaller parts. My stoneware sculptures are mostly fired in an electric kiln, and occasionally in a gas kiln, which produces different glaze results.

I’ve recently started making what I’m calling “Bubble Heads” which are sculptures that project off the wall. These started with a trio of large bubbleheads that were inspired by some of the strong emotional ups and downs of the past couple years. I’m also in the process of producing a limited edition of 25 molded bubbleheads each of which will feature unique glazes or surface treatments. I have an upcoming solo show opening in May 2022 at Julia Martin Gallery here in Nashville, where I’ll be exploring joyful inclusivity via larger scale functional pieces and lighting design.

We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
While there are certain goals I’d like to achieve; places I’d like to show my work or see my work installed, I’m truly content to be able to continue creating. It feels like it took a while to get to this point, and I’m so happy to have a place to come to work and just MAKE STUFF every day! That feels like success. My idea of professional success is impossible without a thriving home life and content family. I’ve been so fortunate in that way and hope to never take it for granted. Success to me means creating meaningful work and taking time for and care of my family.