Julia C R
Gray

Julia C R Gray (b. 1960, Los Angeles, California) creates opalescent, ocean-inspired ceramic torsos that merge form, narrative, and symbolism. Her background in oil painting informs her distinctive glazing method, layering underglazes, oxides, lusters, and glazes to achieve luminous surfaces that recall the shifting colors of water and shells. Rooted in the Pacific landscape of San Diego’s Cardiff Reef, Gray’s work reflects both a personal and spiritual connection to nature and a dialogue with women artists across history including Barbara Hepworth (1903–1975), Renaissance artists: Artemisia Gentileschi (1596-1654), and Lavinia Fontana (1552-1614)

The ‘Her Story’ Torso and ‘SHE–Sea Wisdom’ series embody dichotomies—strength and vulnerability, extinction and restoration, concealment and revelation. Female torsos become vessels for ecological and social narratives, layered with coral-inspired clay forms, hand-painted portraiture, and gold luster details. These works express the fragility and resilience of both the ocean and women’s bodies, positioning them as sites of power, memory, and transformation.

Guided by the rhythms of the sea and the spiral logic of shells, Gray’s practice is an ongoing search for union with the consciousness of nature. Walking the beach at sunrise, she absorbs and transfers this mystery into the studio, where organic forms carry embedded geometries and opalescent finishes evoke the tension between surface and depth. Her sculptures invite the viewer to contemplate hidden narratives and the preciousness of life—offering a meditation on balance, beauty, and survival in an era of upheaval.