When Carol Long, a Kansas, USA-based ceramic artist, says that she draws her inspiration for her creations from animal and plant life, little do we suspect that they will be so out of this world! Yes, this incredible artist certainly captures the intricacy of nature in all her sculptures and how.
Long holds expertise in giving shape to her creations in her own signature style – twisting spouts, swirling handles, surrealistic patterns, and much more. Besides animals, her repertoire includes insects too, ranging from butterflies, caterpillars, chrysalides, and many more. She explains her artistic style on modernmet.com, “Most of my forms start with a thrown piece, I love to push forms to look fluid, extend handles into space, slip trail, and glaze surface design to bring the entire piece together. It’s low tech and time-consuming.”
Long handcrafts her creations using either the potter’s wheel or she builds them directly from slabs and extrusions. She molds and shapes the piece in the most meticulous fashion to bring it into the final shape. Once she is finished, she lets the sculpture dry. Afterward, this soft, malleable clay is glazed and fired to cone 5, where the kiln reaches 98.9 degrees Celsius. To give an antiquated look, she even dirties them.
Carol Long ceramics, which include towering vases, small lidded bowls, and others, is a testimony to her creativity. In each and every creation, she manages to capture the fluidity of the medium. And why not? By her own admission, she aims for the whimsical and always experiments with newer ways of expressing her art.
Carol Long pottery is on display at Charlie Cummings Gallery in Gainsville, Florida, USA; Kang Art Glass in Kechi, Kansas, USA and The Filley Art Museum in Pratt, Kansas, USA. It can also be bought online at her Etsy shop.
Carol Long
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