Abolishing the line between pottery craft and sculptural art, ceramic sculptures have brought back the appeal of clay in the modern times. Of all art mediums, clay is the most versatile and the most ideal modeling material for both amateur and veteran sculptors. But the medium itself has found another place in contemporary ceramic art which is currently making a great revival in the world of fine arts. Carol Long is one of the modern ceramic artists who are shaping the future of artistic pottery. This Kansas-based artist creates vases, bottles, jars, mugs, bowls, jewelry boxes, and other forms of vessels that aren’t just functional but decorative as well.
Long honors the beauty of nature as her inspiration in making intricate ceramic sculptures. Emulating botanical life and hidden aspects of nature through an elaborate flow of shapes and lines, each piece captures the spectacular charm of the flora and fauna. Butterflies, chrysalises, birds, plants, flowers, and other forms of wildlife – the ornate pieces are oozing with colorful embellishments and painstaking details.
Intricate Ceramic Sculptures Inspired By Floral And Fauna
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The ceramic artist carefully crafts each vessel by hand and uses a variety of methods such as throwing, slabwork, extrusions, and hand building. After molding the piece, she then adds tactile embellishments like small spheres, raised linework, and delicate patterns using slip trailing, stains, and glazes. After which, the white mid temperature clay piece is fired to cone 5 to solidify the sculpture.
“Most of my forms start with a thrown piece,” Long says. “I love to push forms to look fluid, extend handles into space, slip trail and glaze surface designs to bring the entire piece together. It’s low tech and time-consuming.”
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You can follow Long on Instagram to see her entire collection of stunning ceramic sculptures. What’s more, you can also buy some of her handmade slip trailed pieces on Etsy.
Source: Etsy | Instagram | Facebook