Kansan Artist Showcasing Colorful Ceramic Vases, Mugs And Bowls

Photos courtesy of Plinth Gallery | Carol Long | Harlow Fairy

Plinth Gallery is pleased to present the imaginative ceramics of Kansan artist Carol Long in a show entitled “New Work”. The exhibition opens with a First Friday Reception on Feb. 7, 6-9 p.m., and will be on view through Mar 22, 2025, at 3520 Brighton Blvd in Denver’s RiNo Art District. Gallery hours are Thursday-Saturday, 12 to 5 p.m., and by appointment. All works are available to purchase.

Carol Long

Long’s pieces are distinctly unique, colorful and highly sculptural, functioning as vases, mugs, bowls, boxes, decorative ornaments and more. Her art is inspired by plants, animals and human figures but she is unrestrained by the accuracy of form. Her process is guided by intuition and spontaneity, allowing the works to reveal a sense of movement and flow. They are embellished with all manner of fanciful details, often featuring a flourish of elegant handles.

Carol Long | Thistle Bottle

On the technical side, she uses a white, mid-temperature clay body fired to cone 5 oxidation. Pieces are made by a variety of methods, such as throwing, slab work, extrusions, casting, and hand building. Decorating with pulled handles, attached multiple pieces, textured with presses, slip trailing, stains and glazes. Long describes her practice as a “study in fitting surface decoration to 3D shapes while keeping in mind how the 2D images are presented online.” And says, “With joy, whimsy and beauty as my goal, my work develops as I experiment with new ways of expressing these qualities of my surroundings.”

Carol Long | Longbird Vase

Born in 1965, Long was raised on a farm in Stafford County, Kansas where she explored and found a connection with nature, developing an appreciation of plant and animal life. An artist and musician, her mother often took her to art museums. She had traditional art supplies at hand but remembers using one of her father’s cattle syringes filled with mud to build structures in the driveway. Her high school art class was a haven, and she spent her college years in the ceramics lab. Long has studied under ceramicists Glenda Taylor, Linda Ganstrom, and Steve Dudek. She enjoys continuous learning from contemporary artists while keeping an eye on historical ceramics. In recent years she has been a presenter at workshops throughout the US.

Plinth Gallery is an intimate and ever-changing exhibition space for contemporary ceramic art located at 3520 Brighton Blvd in Denver’s RiNo Art District. Established in 2006 by noted ceramic artist Jonathan Kaplan, his transformation of a bland, 2-story warehouse into a dynamic live-work space was honored with a Denver Mayor’s Design Award and is now a recognized architectural landmark in the area. Plinth also serves as a gathering place, and educational forum for contemporary ceramic arts through extensive outreach to schools, colleges and individuals seeking to nourish and nurture their creative spirit. For more information visit plinthgallery.com.