Houston Potters Guild Shop and Gallery
Potters - The Owners of Houston's only Clay Cooperative
Janis A. Ross
Janis was born and educated in England, receiving her L.R.A.M. from the Royal Academy of Music in Speech and Drama. After teaching in London for three years she sailed to New York in 1959. She arrived in Texas in October of that yar and has lived here ever since. After marrying and having four daughters she began her clay career in 1972. As president of the Houston Potters Guild in 1980, she and eleven other Guild members decided to open a retail shop to sell high quality handmade pottery to the people of Houston. Now, the only remaining founding member of the shop, her delight in clay remains undiminished. She prefers to make functional work in high-fired stoneware and is very much influenced by her collection of English pots acquired on her frequent trips to England to see her family. Her other area of interst is in the ancient Japanese technique of Raku. The Japanese community did her the honor of asking her to make pots for the Japanese tea ceremony and this group has since conducted the Tea Ceremony in the shop. Janis' continuing aim to to make "a few good pots".
Blue Bowl Series as Seen Below
Marsha L. Landers
Marsha became a shareholder in the Houston Potters Guild Shop in 1992 when her passion for the clay medium had grown during her years as the art instructor at Chinquapin College Preparatory School and adjunct faculty at Lee College, Baytown, Texas. She has worked in the ceramic medium since 1979 when first studying under Jack McClendon, Lee College. She then began work on a Bachelor's degree in Humanities, studying ceramics under distinguished potter and sculptor, Nick de Vries. Marsha holds an M.A. Humanities from the University of Houston, Clear Lake. She is committed to the history of ceramics as to the medium itself, and this is reflected in her choice of glazes and historical firing methods used in her traditional and classic pottery forms. She also enjoys handbuilding and sculpting, doing both expressive and representational pieces. Marsha's work has been in many group and solo shows and juried competitions where she has won numerous awards. She works out of her Cotton Lake Studio overlooking the upper end of Trinity Bay. A sixth generation Texan, Marsha was born in San Antonio. She and her husband, Ben, have three children and nine grandchildren. They have lived in southeast Texas since 1965.
Alligators and Ashes, a Collection of Pottery Glazed with Hurricane IKE ashes
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Smiley Crawls under My TireMarsha's Solo Show was in March, 2009. The above website header photo is a collection of pottery that was glazed with the ashes of Hurricane IKE debris. The glazes included four different types - marsh cane, wood, combined debris, snow-washed wood ash. All had a different look and color. The ash glaze was used by southerners in the 1800's until the early 20th century. Salt, the preferred method of glazing, was a scarce commodity in the south except for Texas and coastal regions. So true to their heritage, southerners learned to make do with what was available. Ashes were, and since pottery was a necessity, there had to be a way to glaze it without depending on a source outside the potter's location for there were very few towns, settlements and trading posts throughout the isolated, agrarian south. Ashes are mixed with varying ratios of clay to produce a glaze. It is a southern tradition and nowhere north of North Carolina was the ash glaze used commercially.
Marsha's Cotton Lake Pottery - What One Might Expect to See from Day to Day in Addition to Smiley, a rare occurrence
Marsha Loads Her KilnMarsha is currently planning for her solo show in October 2010, "Crystalline and Crackle", a collection of crystalline glazed and RAKU crackle wares. Please consult the website's calendar section for all events going on at the Houston Potters Guild Shop and Gallery.
Dorothy Broaddus
Artist Statement
The formal discovery of art in high school began a life-long journey. Through drawing, painting, and sculpture, my arrival to pottery and clay sculpture has been very rewarding. First as a student of art, then as a teacher of junior high and high school art, now I am back to being a serious student/teacher. Currently my creative expression and explorations are in functional dishes, sculptural deorative pottery and clay sculpture. Specifically, I love making functional dishes, sculptural wall hangings and decorative RAKU.
Pottery, which iironically can be done successfully by very small children, is an extremely challenging and complex area of study. Clay exists in many stages from raw to its final firing and each stage presents not only unique, and often frustrating challenges, but wonderful opportunities. For a student to even begin to master the basics in pottery, he must devote two to three years of significant commitment. And that is just learning clay handling. Then there is mastering glazing and firing the kiln. On top of all this an artist can spend many years perfecting the type of pottery they have chosen and developing their own artist voice.
There is a famous description about pottery making. It is that from start to finish, a pot is touched between 15 to 20 times, as all the steps are completed. Some choose to emphasize the wet stage and enjoy the mastery of the potter's wheel. Others choose to work toward the dryer end by carving the surface. And there are literally unlimited possibilities in between. I personally want to continue on my journey to learn as much as possible. Clay in all of its stages is a wonderful medium of expression. For me, exploration of the creative and technical is a continuing rich and rewarding experience.
This collection of RAKU pots includes both glaze and underglaze decoration fired in the traditional fast firing method of the Raku process.
More of Dorothy's Pottery
Cindy Babbitt
Cindy at one of our summer sidewalk salesCindy Babbitt is a retired public school art teacher, a profession which she can't seem to let go of. Cindy likes to spend much of her time teaching clay art to both children and adults. She has been working in the clay medium for over twenty years and does most of her work in oxidation, the method using an electric kiln. Her work includes mostly functional but she also works with handbuilt masks, planters and yard art, decorating both her functional, whimsical and expressive work with underglaze decoration. Cindy has already begun a series of clay workshops at CAMEO House and is looking forward to more this spring. Check our Workshops section for more information.
Cindy's Bio and Artist's Statement
I have been working with clay for many years now and am always amazed at how much this medium has to offer. The millions of choices in clay production is sometimes overwhelming and there are plenty of opportunities to give up and go to a simpler medium that is more predictable. The reason I stick with clay is because of the challenges it provides. It is a love/hate relationship at times since clay is so physically and mentally demanding.
Always experimenting with new ideas, I often return to past ideas. My goal is to reach a place of peace and acceptance of my clay designs. I strive to look at my finished clay work and say to myself, "This is good and ther is spirit and beauty in this clay".
The "ups and downs" of clay creation has kept my attention for almost 20 years. I began appreciating pottery as a teen which helped direct me in higher education. I majored in ceramics and education at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. I have been an art teacher in public school, alternative school and private classes.
Joining the Houston Potters Guild in 2009 has given me a home for my clay art. Plus it has been rewarding to have other potters and artists to associate with in a business environment. We have fun and grow as a group and individually.
Educating the public in the joys of clay is very important to me. CAMEO and the Houston Potters Guild are offering small workshops at different times so that we can help people of all ages to understand the challenges and joys of clay.
Workshops
The photos below show the types of handbuilt clay art that a student can expect to produce in one of Cindy's workshops.
Look what the girl scouts did in just one session!
Feng Shui Containers by Cindy Babbitt
Cindy is the only potter in our group who makes these wonderful feng shui containers. She has a variety of sizes and colors that will fit in any decor so they are great for gifts for that hard-to-please person. They are great for single stems or a few. As with all our pottery, the glazes are lead free, a policy that has built up trust with our customers over the years.
Come by to see more of Cindy's garden art and functional wares.
More Feng Shui Choices
Lotsa pots from many potters, including:
POLLY MC KINLEY, ALVIN POTTER/sculptor
RENEE LIEBER, HOUSTON POTTER
MARCIA SELSOR, BROWNSVILLE POTTER
Pottery and sculpture, wall art, and handbuilt pieces are now on exhibit at the Houston Potters Guild Shop.
Marcia Selsor, Brownsville Potter
Wheel thrown with resist decoration. Slip is applied to damp greenware and then the image is painted using either shellac or paraffin. Then the pot is wiped with a damp sponge. Everywhere the shellac or paraffin is not painted, will be wiped away, leaving a subtle relief with image. Marcia Selsor is a Brownsville Potter.
More Pots by the Potters
Descriptions of the Above Pots
Top Left: Marsha L. Landers - Ikebana Container, stoneware, reduction fired to 2375 degrees, propane fueled kiln.
Top Right: Marsha L. Landers - stoneware mugs, incised surface design, oxidation fired, electric kiln.
Middle Left: Marsha L. Landers - Assortment of functional pottery, reduction fired to 2375 degrees.
Middle Right: Handbuilt sculptural vessel by Marsha L. Landers, Reduction fired to 2375 degrees, propane fueled kiln
Lower Left - Dorothy Broaddus - Assortment of RAKU vessels with underglaze surface decoration
Lower Right - Marsha L. Landers - Functional Pitcher, stoneware, reduction fired to 2375 degrees in propane fueled kiln.
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