| Christopher Mathie has truly established himself as a three dimensional Raku artist working in clay. However, taking advantage of scholarships for art school at the University of Puget Sound in Washington State, and prolifically devouring painting, drawing, pottery, sculpture and print making allowed him the opportunity to explore many mediums in order to find his artistic voice. By the time he graduated in 1994 with honors in art he had already achieved significant recognition from Seattle area galleries. And now both private and corporate collectors purchase his Raku sculpture and pottery and his abstract expressionist paintings.
Christopher's first years as an artist were spent exploring the Japanese tradition of Raku. In clay he became known for hand-thrown pottery, beautifully symmetrical, technical forms that were intricately carved with textures and patterns depicting nature. The pieces were glazed with swirling Raku colors — greens, coppers and golds with smoked areas, richly natural and compelling. But after years of working in clay and Raku firing he began to wonder if these beautifully organic characteristics could be captured two-dimensionally? He began to paint large acrylic abstracts that soon became more complex and rich with line and texture. He realized he was painting the appearance of his clay work. But in paint he could work even more boldly and expressively and found painting extremely large pieces allowed him to explore feelings and emotions in a new way. He began stapling large pieces of muslin to the wall, on which he could literally explode with energy!
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