David Cressey 1916–2013
Multidisciplinary artist David Cressey’s six decade-long career spanned painting, sculpture, and ceramics. Born in Los Angeles, he studied under Vivika Heino at the University of Southern California and with Laura Andreson at the University of California, Los Angeles. By 1956, Cressey earned his MFA from UCLA and he went on to teach there as well as Utah State University, California State College, Long Beach, and Mount Saint Mary College, Los Angeles.
In 1961, Cressey became the first artist in residence at Architectural Pottery in Los Angeles where, drawing upon his fine art training, he created innovative functional pottery with a distinct aesthetic that became emblematic of post-war California design. His planters went on to decorate countless patios and backyards and remain incredibly desirable to this day thanks to their modern yet timeless appearance. From 1961 until 1987 he maintained a studio in Venice, CA and also partnered with Group Artec and Earthgender Ceramics companies. By the late 1980s, Cressey expanded his artistic pursuits to mixed media abstractions on wood and, later in his career, painting became more prominent in his work as well. His paintings display complex layers of various colors, textures, and media exploring nature, movement, and abstraction.
Cressey received the prestigious California Design Award in 2006 and his work is in many permanent collections including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Pasadena Art Museum, and the Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse.
