I make useful pots for two principal reasons: because I love to make them and because I believe using handmade things can enrich the lives of the users. I choose colors and designs that are rooted in nature: ocean, beach stones, moss and sky. Inspiration for form comes from some of the traditions of English and Japanese pottery. Depth and richness in glazes are created by using specific shiny and satin surfaces together in contrast. For design, I explore both pattern and symbols, often sprung from nature, in collaboration with the form to increase a sense of mystery. It is my intent to add to that my fascination with the material and ideas about function, as well as to reveal and honor the process. I see my pots as a bridge between art and daily life.
Marian Baker makes pots in her studio in Yarmouth, Maine and has maintained a summer studio and gallery at Little Cranberry Island, Maine since 1989. She taught ceramics at Maine College of Art & Design in Portland from 1985 to 2020. She has been featured in Ceramics Monthly, Studio Potter Magazine, The Clay Times, Maine Home and Design, and is represented in many books and publications. She was awarded the Maine Craft Artist Award in 2021 by Maine Craft Association. Recent exhibitions include Tilth and Tide, Courtyard Gallery, Sacramento (NCECA 2022), To Unravel the Bind, Maine College of Art Faculty Triennial (2020), Strictly Functional Pottery National (2019), KC Clay Guild Teabowl National (2019), On the Rocks Drinking Vessel Exhibition (2018), Twin Cups National, Kansas City Teabowl National (award winner), The Inspired Hand IV Invitational, Ignite and Invite: Watershed Ceramics Invitational, New Hampshire Art Institute Ceramics Biennial. Galleries include Islesford Pottery, Charlie Cummings Gallery, and Maine Craft Portland.
