emily meisler

In her abstract ceramic, metal and plaster sculptures, Birmingham-based artist Emily Meisler is inspired by natural elements.

The artist: Meisler grew up in Birmingham, and graduated from the College of Charleston in 2015 with degrees in psychology and studio art with a concentration in sculpture.

After graduation, she took a year off before grad school and moved back to Birmingham to work for a bronze and steel artist.

In 2018, she graduated from the San Francisco Art Institute with a masters in fine art with a concentration in sculpture and moved back to Birmingham.

The studio: Meisler mostly works from home in Birmingham, but has separate studios for her metal work and kiln firing.

In the beginning: She started making sculptures mainly in ceramic in high school. At the College of Charleston, which did not have a ceramics program, she had to find other materials to work with and started getting into metal and plaster.

“Metal allowed me to make stronger and larger sculptures,” said Meisler.

The art & materials: Abstract ceramic, metal, and plaster sculptures.Though she uses a wide range of materials, her favorites include a high fire white clay and annealed steel wire.

Favorite or go-to tools: Pliers for metal and a wood modeling tool for ceramics.

What’s popular: Midsize ceramic table-top pieces ($500 to $800).

Other favorites:

Metal and concrete knots ($150).
Midsize metal sculptures ($500 to $800).
Metal and concrete sculptures ($1,150 to $1,400).

Inspirations: Many including:

Nature, plants, microscopic organisms
Construction, building materials
Dilapidated/overgrown buildings
Brutalist architecture
Mid-century modern architecture
Artists Martin Puryer, Jean Arp and Ruth Asawa.

Fun or special commissions: Recently, a commission of 13 nearly identical ceramic sculptures for a hotel in Singapore.The client wanted her to recreate a sculpture she had already made, but in a larger size.

Since this sculpture wasn’t made using molds, it was difficult to make that many sculptures that were roughly the same size and look, said Meisler, but she enjoyed the challenge.

Recent awards/honors: