Every piece I build
is unique and tells a story.
I'm Carol Wright, owner of Earth Kiln Fire.
My Creative Approach
As I sit at the wheel or a wedging table, time slows down and provides me a venue to create, explore, fantasize and pause. I appreciate making handmade pottery. It has meaning and can be woven into one’s daily life. It can be functional or decorative; glazed in a wide palette of colors; free form or clay pressed in a mold. I am inspired by the elements of nature and the environment around me. I embrace all of these possibilities with openness and opportunity. When working with clay, I am nourished spiritually and emotionally.
Today, I have a blank canvas. Every hand built and wheel-thrown piece is unique and tells a story. The clay I use is stoneware, and range from brown, red and white clay bodies. Each type moves and fires differently, as well as how it reacts to glazes. I have fired my pottery in a salt, gas, wood-fired and electric kilns, all using different types of glazes. The results are beautiful, different and unpredictable. My heart is filled with excitement and anticipation when the bricks are removed or the kiln door opens.
I have continued to grow my passion for clay, learning new techniques, and challenging myself daily in pursuit of ceramics as the definitive expression of my art. Each day I awake with inspiration that I witness wherever I go, the people I meet and the places I visit. For me, throwing has become a source of support that allows me to draw upon my own creativity and expressiveness. It is a challenge, a passion and most of all, a part of who I have become.
My Background
In 1993, I began working in ceramics and drawing in watercolor on Madeline Island, LaPointe, Wisconsin. I enrolled in many workshops in both forms of art. At Woods Hall clay studio on Madeline Island, my oldest child and I learned to “throw” clay on a kick wheel. It was quite challenging and frustrating, but very enjoyable. I knew back then I would continue working in clay.
After raising four children in rural Wisconsin, I moved to Madison. In March 2011, I decided to participate with my children in an open studio day at Midwest Clay Project (MCP), Madison, WI. I soon became a member at MCP. Knowing how much I enjoyed working in this form of art, I purchased an electric wheel and various tools. I soon rented a semi-private space at MCP.
I spend most of my time on the wheel, but also work on both wheel and hand-building. I use several different kinds of stoneware, including porcelain. I have made, (in various sizes and mostly unique), platters, bowls, tea pots, covered pots, vases, mugs, tea cups, votive candle luminaries, plaques, glasses, soap dishes, etc. I enjoy carving into the clay, so, when glazed, the shades of color take on a whole new look to the piece.
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Conferences Attended
National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA)
Milwaukee WI, 2014
Portland, OR, 2017
Workshops & Classes
Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Deer Isle, ME
Workshop with Michael Hunt and Naomi Daglish, 2017
Workshop with Michael Kline, 2018
Various workshops, private and group lessons at Grandview Academy, Hollandale, WI and at Woods Hall Studio, La Pointe, WI, 2011-2022
Carol with granddaughter, Grace, holding the wind chime she created for an installation, 2018
Past Showings
Bayfield Festival of Arts
Bayfield, WI, 2016-2019, 2022-2023
Madison Museum of Contemporary Art (MMOCA) Gallery Night
Madison, WI, 2016-2019, 2022
Madison School & Recreation Center (MSCR) Ceramics Fair
Madison, WI, 2018, 2019, 2022
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Tenney Park Wind Chime Installation
Madison, WI, 2018
Art in the Wright Place
Madison, WI, 2019
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La Pointe Center Gallery Exhibition
La Pointe, WI, 2019
Madeline Island Chamber Music Fellowship and Woods Hall Gallery and Studio Fundraiser
La Pointe, WI, 2022
I was among a select group of artists invited to create and donate art inspired by Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 7 in F, Op. 59. One of my donated pieces traveled to a home in Australia.
Bayfield & Madeline Island Art Escape Ceramic Demonstration
La Pointe, WI, 2022-2023
Madison Artists' Night
Madison, WI, 2022-2023
Paoli Art in the Park
Belleville, WI, 2023
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Grand Inspired Gallery Mug Event
Stoughton, WI, 2023
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