Carol Fleming Artist Statement

Handling clay most of my life, I still relish its mass and soft, malleable

fluidness. Ceramic material in the artist’s hand offers so many possibilities.

I can work large or small, textured or smooth, glazed or natural. The decision making process happens organically as I constantly choose which

way to go next. The fire of the kiln collaborates with me in capturing that last touch to preserve the message of the clay.

The columns possess an upward reaching nature. Their strength appears to power ever taller into the sky. I have expanded their girth over the years, and now each column averages 200 pounds of stoneware clay. They are fired in a gas kiln to 2,200 degrees Fahrenheit. The firing fuses the clay to be comfortable in all weather. The columns are often installed outdoors where they posture like trees and give lifelike companionship to rocks and plants in the garden. I usually work with a specific landscape in mind, incorporating the needs of the client’s site.

In contrast to the square slab-built columns, I also take ropes of clay and coil them into egg forms on which I leave my thumb prints showing. The eggs express the soft, comforting feminine presence of clay in the struggle for a meaningful life. Like the Hobbit’s’ keyless box, the egg suggests a “golden treasure inside hid.” What will come hatching out, what renewed faith will spring hope eternal in our human breast?

The arches thrive to listen, ponder, chat, kiss, and reach toward each other.They are the animated form of the tall columns. They bring a smile to our faces because they act like a greeting committee.

2009, old artist's statement...

I have written over 32 statements. May 2016.