Carol Long Pottery Represents the Incredible Artistic Talent Found Within Western Kansas
October 16, 2019
Carol Long Pottery in St. John, Kansas has been nominated for wKREDA’s Tourism/Art/Culture Business of the Year. With 35 years in business, Carol Long has been creating unique, one-of-a-kind works that are fit to grace the most remarkable of homes, corporate offices, hotels or even the family living room. Works like her Long Bird Basket Vase feature intricately painted designs that reflect the intriguing beauty of nature. Yet, the designs painted on the pottery are just one aspect of why her works stand out. Vases include gracefully sweeping handles conjuring images of curling branch or a fluttering leaf. Her works possess a movement that invokes images of nature playfully dancing, as if she has captured those magical moments when nature truly comes alive and the viewer is blessed to witness it.
Truly, Carol Long Pottery is an example of the incredible artistic talent found within Western Kansas. She has used her talents as an artist, not just for her own business, but to benefit the community as a whole. Ashlee Bevan of Stafford County Economic Development, said, “Carol is always finding ways to incorporate art in our local communities! She is actively guiding the Gray Photo Studio restoration project in St. John where we hope to have a resident artist someday.” By encouraging art within Stafford County, Carol is paving the way for the next generation of talented artists.
About Carol Long
Born in 1965, Carol Long was raised on a farm in Stafford County, Kansas. The farm had been homesteaded since the 1880's. By the time of her childhood, it had matured with enormous trees and a thick shelter belt. Carol explored these wooded areas and found a connection with nature developing a total appreciation of plant and animal life. Her mother also had an interest in art and often took Carol to art museums. Carol often felt a need to express herself by bringing her imagination to life. She remembers as a child using one of her father’s cattle syringes filled with mud to draw structures in the driveway. In High School, Carol excelled in art. Her teacher, Sheldon Ganstrom, who is now a prominent Raku artist helped spark Carol's interest in ceramics. She then moved on to Barton County Community College where she realized that she was always drawn to the ceramics lab. She has studied under Glenda Taylor, Linda Ganstrom, and Steve Dudek.
Carol draws influence from plant and animal life and is fascinated by the small complexities of the micro aspects of nature. Her work continues to evolve as she experiments with new ways of expressing the tiny beautiful intrinsic qualities of nature that we often take for granted.
Carols work has been featured at the Strecker-Nelson Gallery in Manhattan, Kansas. Her work can also be found at Bella Luz in Wichita Kansas as well as the Courtyard Gallery in Linsdborg, Kansas. She has a booth each year at the Outdoor Living Show (formerly known as the Wichita Garden Show) in Wichita. Her most recent work is always available on her website http://carollongpottery.com.
