The University of Arkansas at Monticello welcomed potter Matt Long, who presented a slide lecture and studio demonstrations in the UAM ceramics studio, Feb 16. 

   During the pottery making demonstrations, Long made several cups, a flask, a shot glass and a dinner plate. In addition to the objects that he made, Long demonstrated several techniques for decorating pottery using slip, a byproduct of the pottery making process. 

   Long, a potter for 22 years, tells students that the key to being a great artist is practice. 

   “Artists aren’t born, you have to work at it,” Long said. 

   After a morning full of demonstrations, Long presented a slideshow that featured pictures of his work, the work of people and things that have inspired him and photos from his personal life. 

   Originally from Grass Valley, Calif., Long currently resides in Oxford Miss., where he has a studio and heads the ceramics department at The University of Mississippi, where he teaches as an assistant professor. Long normally offers between eight and 10 workshops during the year. Those workshops usually last 2-3 days and go more in-depth than the one presented on campus. 

   Long, who sells some pieces of his work for hundreds of dollars, has only recently started to think of himself as an artist. 

   “Less than half of my life have I considered myself an artist,” Long said. “I am a craftsman.” 

   Long will be back on campus soon. He returns as a juror at the Second Annual UAM National Juried Cup Show Feb. 23. 

   For more information about Matt Long and a gallery featuring some of his pottery, visit his website at www.FullVictory.com