Strung Out – Kelly Landrum-Hammell, artist

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Known for her whimsical and unique creations, Kelly Landrum-Hammell combines pottery and unexpected elements for truly one-of-a-kind designs. Her works include horsehair-fired clay, raku and functional clay pieces.

After eleven years of working in New York City as an agent for Elite Models, Kelly looked to pottery as a creative outlet. She signed up for a six week pottery course and immediately found herself captivated and entranced with clay and its endless possibilities. This six week course was the beginning of an adventurous and intense study of clay, paving the way for a new career as an artist.

In 2002, Kelly returned to her southern roots and opened her personal studio, 3 Dog Pottery, in Carriere, Mississippi. In 2008, she started teaching pottery classes so that she could share her knowledge and love of clay with others. As interest in classes increased, the artist opened Pottery Studio KLH in Slidell, Louisiana, where she currently creates and teaches.
In her creation process, Kelly uses a variety of different types of clay, various methods of forming, several different firing techniques and an extensive range of glaze applications and surface decoration. What results is a wide variety of both decorative and functional pottery, largely influenced by the natural world, animals, the ocean and the artist’s environment.

In the artist’s words:

I was one of the fortunate people to be only mildly effected by Hurricane Katrina. My home was spared. The primary difficulties I endured were living without electricity and cleaning up downed trees in the yard. The rest of my family and in-laws were not as fortunate–they lost everything.

Hurricane Katrina helped me to recognize the beauty and blessings in everyday life.

As an artist, I was inspired to create more, trying to make things of beauty to compensate for the devastation that surrounded us.

Strung Out was crafted by hand with a crackled, distressed finish and crowned with curled guitar strings. The twisted wires represent the power of Katrina’s strong winds and the texture is reminiscent of the thick, cracked mud that was caked atop streets and yards following the storm. It’s the aftermath of Mother Nature’s fury, captured in colors and textures.