Carla Kappa is an Italian-born artist. Coming to the United States she was immediately drawn to the American West. The open landscape is very powerful to her. She views the landscape and the sky as art forms only nature can create. Her homes, in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado and high desert country of southeast Utah, are a constant influence in her organic ceramics. The Native Americans of the West have influenced the course of her work greatly.
She has taken their hand-building techniques and blended them with her own sense of Italian style.She hand coils the clay and stacks each coil one on top of the other to form these beautiful vases. The white ceramics are occasionally colored with pigment and can range from earth tones to vivid purples and blues.
She does not always glaze them in that she likes the purity of the whiteness and she likes the imperfections of her hand-building techniques to come through as well. Her ceramics have been referred to as being reminiscent of Georgia O’Keefe’s artwork. Their form incorporates art nouveau lines and the vases impart elegance in their style.

Artist's Statement

Clay allows me to experiment, explore, accept challenges in developing new forms, to start with an idea and eventually do what the clay dictates or wants!
I prefer the coil hand-built process used by the primitive artists who inspired me. Sometimes I don’t want the glaze to cover the purity of the white clay or the imperfection of the hand building process. Therefore, I finish my pieces by carefully burnishing with a pebble (river smoothed rock) the entire surface, which will appear semi-glossy and inviting to the touch. Depending on my mood, other pieces are used as a canvas and finished with pigment and multi-media.



Exhibitions

2009 2008 2008 2007 2007 2006 2006 2006 2005 2005 2004 2003 2001 2001 2001 2000 2000 1999 1999 1998 1998 1998 1997 1997 1997 1996 1995 1994 1994 1994 1993 1993 1993 1992 1991 1990

Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Art + Architecture Tour, April 26, 2009, Los Angeles Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, Fall 2008 Show Time. Ceramics by Carla Kappa, July 11-13, 2008, Boulder, CO Two artist show, July 28-31, 2007, Boulder, Colorado Special Art Show by Carla Kappa, June, 2007, Boulder, CO Whimsical Figures, Dec. 14-27, 2006, Boulder, CO Colorado Clay Exhibition 2006, juried, The Foothills Art Center, Golden, CO, spring 2006 Award of Excellence for Ceramic Work Two artist show, March 10-12, 2006, Boulder, CO Colorado Art Open 2005, juried, The Foothills Art Center, Golden, Colorado, winter 2005 “Keramos” Exhibit, Colorado College Arts and Crafts Program, Coburn Gallery, Woerner Campus Center, February 22-April 19, 2005 Colorado Clay Exhibition 2004, The Foothills Art Center, Golden, CO, juried show. Marsha Levy Memorial Award Invited Artist, 25th Anniversary Show, Boulder, CO, August 2003 Invited Artist, 25th Anniversary Show, Boulder, CO, August 2003 Sculpture in the Park—Loveland High Plains Art Council, Invited Artist, Loveland, CO, August 2001 11th Annual Black & White Shades of Grey Exhibition, juried, Tampa, FL, Feb. 9-March 30, 2001 Sculpture in the Park—Loveland High Plains Art Council, Loveland, CO, August 2000 Form as Function, Show associated with NCECA tour of galleries, Boulder, CO, March 21-31, 2000 Sculpture in the Park—Loveland High Plains Art Council, Invited Artist , Loveland, CO, August 1999 Colorado Art Open—July 9-August 2, 1999, Foothills Art Center, Golden, CO. Cum Laude Award A Portrait of Hope, Invitational Show for Breast Cancer Research, June 4-30, 1998, Boulder, CO Sculpture in the Park—Loveland High Plains Art Council, juried show, Loveland, CO, August 1998 Two Women Show, Howell-Cole Gallery, Denver, CO, November 1998 Traditions…Southwest, Foothills Arts Center, juried show, Golden, CO, January 10-February 15 Two artist show Boulder, CO, June 1997 Sculpture in the Park—Loveland High Plains Art Council, juried show, Loveland, CO, August 1997 Grace - Spirit - Vision, Three Women Show, Denver, CO, September 20-October 20, 1996 Colorado Clay Exhibition 1995, juried show, The Foothills Art Center, Golden, CO J. Howell Gallery, Denver, CO, ceramic sculpture exhibit Juried show, MacLaren Markowitz Gallery, Boulder, CO North American Sculpture Exhibition, Foothills Art Center, Golden, CO, juried show Colorado Clay Exhibition 1993, The Foothills Art Center, Golden, CO The Clay Studio Show, Philadelphia, juried show “By the Hand of Women,” juried show, Longmont Museum, Longmont, CO Gilpin County Arts Association, Juried Show, Central City, CO 10th Anniversary Show, ceramic sculpture, Alpha Gallery, Denver, CO 8th Annual All Colorado Art Show, Greenwood Village Museum of Outdoor Arts, Denver, CO

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