The Arts & Business Council of Greater Nashville, Blackbird Media, and F&M Bank have teamed up to present the Artist of the Week on The Nashville Sign. This week Keavy Murphree is featured!
Ceramicist and designer, Keavy Murphree, has long been called to the raw and tactile process of clay creation. Sculpting from her studio in Nashville, Keavy employs varied techniques to craft distinctive pieces that augment living spaces through her signature blend of form and color. Keavy has discovered the intersection connecting the bold playfulness of folk art with the understated simplicity of modern design to create collectible pieces that are both offbeat and charming.
Many have come to know Keavy’s work through her highly-recognizable Horny Beasts, an ongoing collection of faceless, horned animals, and her FACES collection. Keavy’s recent work further develops this aesthetic, expanding an exploration of vanity and modern perceptions of beauty into functional pieces. These furnishings include a play on traditional face jugs as well as larger-scale end tables and wall shelves.
Keavy’s ceramic work is the culmination of a successful career in design, beginning with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in industrial design from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana followed by positions in product design for tech and wearable accessories before opening her own art and design studio in 2016. Her latest work can be found on her website, where commissions may also be requested.
Keavy works and resides with her family in Nashville, where she continues to advance her studio work and expand her collections.
“Using a variety of hand-building techniques, I incorporate texture, limited color, and dimensional, graphic elements into my work. I think about the ways in which different elements work together; starting with basic organic and geometric forms and shapes, and how this will fill the three dimensional space in a simplified manner. I then consider how texture and color will enhance and balance the overall aesthetic of the piece. I also think about visual hierarchy and how the viewer will engage with the work.
I’m currently working on two series: Horny Beasts and FACES. In FACES, I’m exploring modern beauty conventions, vanity, emotional expression, and perception. On a basic level, the designer in me wants to create harmonious, beautiful objects designed to intrigue and delight. I think this is best exemplified in the mostly-horned creatures I create. They are FUN, cute, and irreverent!”