"What I particularly admire in Matthew Courtney's approach to clay is his honesty to it's essential nature. He seems to revel in all of clay's characteristics and foibles-fragility, multiple production, spontaneity, the various steps of the process of working and firing a piece, clays annoying tendency to assert itself at inopportune moments - and somehow manages to show all to best advantage. The easy simplicity with which he uses all of these things at once in a piece is a delight to see." Bruno Laverdiere, Catalog for "Artists Choose Artists", Lake George Arts Project, Lake George NY.

Matthew Courtney was born in Washington D.C. and raised in Springfield, PA. After graduating from Philadelphia College of Art, he received his MFA from Kent State University, where he studied with Kurt Mangus. He began his teaching career at The Cleveland Institute of Art, and since returning to Philadelphia in 1995 has continually served as an adjunct instructor at many of city’s most prestigious art programs, including Tyler School of Art, University of Pennsylvania, and The University of the Arts. During this time, Courtney has been showing his work in Philadelphia and at various national and international juried and invitational exhibitions. Courtney has been artist in residence at Lanzhou City University in 2015, 2017 and 2018. Most recently, he has exhibited his work at the James Earl Carter Gallery, Georgia Southwestern State University, Americus GA, Cherry Street Pier Philadelphia PA, the Mount Airy Contemporary: Intuitive Art Space in Manayunk PA and The Gallery at the Center for Emerging Artists, Philadelphia PA. He currently lives in the Manayunk neighborhood of Philadelphia with his wife, the artist and educator, Jackie White.