2024 Culinary and Ceramic Experience – Carl Morton

Carl Morton

I believe Art is an invaluable way of interacting with and seeing people. Cultural ideals, systems of value, and perceptions of beauty are embodied in and transmitted through art. My interests and inspiration lie in art forms that explore the human condition, tell a story, and reinforce or oppose social values. I enjoy viewing as well as creating art with clay as my preferred medium. History and culture play large roles in my work. I especially love the artistic traditions, cultures and histories of the many different people who live in Sub-Saharan Africa. I am inspired by the stylized realism, visual abstraction and the emphasis on social roles embodied in much of the artwork from that region. It is my hope that the work I create, in some way, is informed by those very qualities and styles.

Currently, I am developing a body of work that reflects the ceramic traditions of late 19th and early 20th century North Carolina potters. In many instances, potters from that location and time combined the utilitarian aspects of European ceramics with African artistic traditions that came to the region by way of the slave trade. It is my goal to incorporate the utilitarian and artistic qualities of that era and culture with my own stylistic preferences to create an Artistic design that is visually pleasing while hopefully exhibiting the cultural qualities that made the potters of North Carolina stand out as one of the great Folk Arts and Crafts industries of our nation.

Biography
Carl Louis Morton is a contemporary ceramist and sculptor who lives in Sheridan, Wyoming. A restless traveler, Carl has lived and worked extensively outside the United States for much of his life. His artwork captures the cultural diversity he experienced while traveling. He draws on his educational background of History and Anthropology in the creation of his work. He especially loves the artistic traditions, cultures and histories of the many different people who live in Sub-Saharan Africa. He is inspired by the stylized realism, visual abstraction and the emphasis on social roles embodied in much of the artwork from that region. Currently, he is experimenting with historic, utilitarian ceramic forms, sculpture and Mixed Media. He finds inspiration in art forms that explore the human condition, tell a story, and reinforce or oppose social values. Carl attended his first art classes at Sheridan College in the fall of 2017 and graduated with an Associates of Fine Arts Degree (AFA) in December 2021. His work has been exhibited in multiple Regional and National art competitions and juried exhibitions since 2018.