Today we’d like to introduce you to Marsha Landers.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
I am a potter with 39 years’ experience and my own professional studio in Cove, Texas where I make pottery, create sculpture and teach. Recently, I was commissioned to do a custom order of communion sets for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The sets were to be used for their youth gathering they were planning in Houston, Texas this past June 2018. The order was for 400 sets, a chalice and a paten, so that meant 800 pieces. The chalice was made in two pieces, a cup and a stem, then pieced together so really it was 1200 pieces altogether that I made. ELCA was expecting 30,000 youth to gather. It was a challenge to say the least for me to complete the order and would require a steady, focused approach to the project.
The very first job I had out of high school, long before I was introduced to the clay medium, was working in a garment factory. Being familiar with the assembly line, I could see that this order was going to need a similar process and so I set up the studio accordingly, psyched myself up for the challenge, and remained focused. I had a contract with ELCA to have everything delivered by a certain date. I’m proud to say that I finished the order 3 weeks ahead of time. It took me five and a half months to complete the order. If anyone has ever worked with the clay medium, you are familiar with loss during the process. Various things can go wrong with the clay, the firing, the glaze, etc. I had less than 1% loss with this order – truly a remarkable success rate and unheard of as well. I packed and delivered the shipments in multiples of one hundred sets. There was no breakage with that and none when the sets were unpacked and none that I know of during the event. That too is remarkable.
I was invited to attend the final worship service for this event in which all of the communion sets would be in use at the same time and place. It was held at NRG Stadium on July 1st. The stadium was packed and the service was indeed impressive. I did learn that during the ten days that the youth were in Houston, they not only had the spiritual experience of their journey but also did volunteer work for various charities in the Houston area. This is 30,000 youth coming together in peace, unity and love. It was an amazing testament to a better side of our society which is all too often ignored. I have included a photo of the final worship service inside NRG stadium.
Often ignored.
Please tell us about your art.
Everything that I create is original. Although I make more pottery than sculpture, my passion is the latter. With sculpting I can forget about time and don’t want to leave the piece I’m working on. I’ll cover it up with plastic, weight that with a towel and go about the other things that are awaiting me outside my cocoon of creativity, anxious to return as soon as possible. With my pottery, I make mostly functional pieces which are better sellers since people use those. Now that the big custom order is behind me, I want to again experiment with crystalline glazes which are a bit trickier to achieve but I do love a challenge and I love the beauty of crystalline glazes. It is meaningful to me that people find pleasure in both my functional and decorative artwork. For instance, comments about my mugs and chalices tell me that people like drinking from them because the rims are so smooth when you touch them to your lips. I make all my glazes and so can affirm that everything is lead-free, dishwasher safe and microwave safe.
Do you have any advice for other artists? Any lessons you wished you learned earlier?
Do not leave behind your desire to pursue art. There have been several people I know who wait for years either to try their hand at art, or they’ve put it on a back burner. Don’t do that. Stay with it even if it isn’t very often. Interaction with other artists is very important. Align yourself with art organizations or groups. As soon as you are able, get involved more in the arts. There is a lot of grant money out there which can be very helpful for your community. The Art League of Baytown has some great programs where we offer art workshops or classes to special needs adults, cancer patients, hospital patients, and other groups. We plan events to introduce people to the arts through exhibits, workshops and classes. We know that our community and its residents has benefited from these programs.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
My pottery and sculpture can be seen here at my ClayThings Studio in Cove, Texas just south of I-10 East, exit 800. I have a great selection of pottery and sculptural pieces in my display area. My work is also available at Art League of Baytown Gallery, 110 W. Texas Avenue, Baytown, Texas 77520. If you would like to get on my email list, I will notify you of special events that we have at the Art League’s gallery in Baytown, Texas.
Contact Info:
- Address: ClayThings Studio
1366 Ben Mar Overlook, Cove, Texas 77523 - Website: houstonpotters.com
- Phone: 281-639-5987, call or text; 281-303-0279
- Email: mblanders@verizon.net
- Facebook: facebook.com/cottonlakepottery
- Twitter: @prettymudwoman
Image Credit:
ELCA crowd inside NRG stadium
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