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Principia College

• Education Major - Classroom psychology
• Studio Art - Ceramics major
• Global studies minor - Cultural diversity and ethics 

Educator at:

• Fine Line Creative Arts Center - St. Charles, IL
  
• The Digs - Chicago, IL
• The Color Cocktail Factory - Chicago, IL
• University of Wisconsin, The Wheel House - Madison, WI
• Camp High Rocks - Brevard, NC

Passionate about

• Sharing the joy of pottery through teaching.
• Helping others find their peace.
• Creating community through the arts.

Where it started

Meet Marlaina Mathisen!
The ceramic artist from the suburbs of Northwest Chicago. Picture this: a 10-year-old Marlaina, knee-deep in mud by the river, sculpting lumpy vases and trying to bake them in her mom's oven. Talk about a pottery lover from the beginning! 
Marlaina attended Kansas City Art Institute and Principia college graduating with a BA in Studio Art - Ceramics and Educational Studies.
From teaching wheel throwing at the University of Madison, Wisconsin, to running the Ceramics Department at Camp High Rocks, Marlaina's been on a mission to spread the clay love far and wide.

"The process of making pottery is just as important, if not more, than the final product. That's why 'Joy in the process' is my motto. Similarly, that is why I not only sell my work but have a passion for teaching the therapeutic creative process of pottery to others. Helping people to embrace the challenges of the process and transforming raw materials into functional works of art that enrich our every day."​ - Marlaina Irene Mathisen

Marlaina is a proficient wheel throwing artist who loves to share her understanding of the wheel to others. Her personal work focuses primarily on wheel thrown and altered forms ranging from functional works of art to sculptural centerpieces.
Currently Marlaina teaches a variety of classes at The Digs in Chicago, Fine Line Creative Arts Center in St. Charles and is diligently working towards establishing her own pottery studio. ​

 MY MOTO     -     JOY IN THE PROCESS

MY MANTRA    -    
IN EVERY STEP, I FIND PRESENCE. IN EVERY CHALLENGE, I SEE OPPORTUNITY. MY JOURNEY UNFOLDS WITH GRACE, AND I EMBRACE THE BEAUTY OF EVERY HURDLE OVERCOME.

ARTIST STATEMENT

​I love the process of artistic exploration because of the grounding and centering feeling it provides when I
come into contact with my inner self. What is life after death? How can I reflect the beauty that is growth following a difficult struggle? How do progress and failure fit together? These are the questions that inspire my artistic exploration and are referenced in my work.

Working with clay is a reflection of working with myself. I handle the trial and error of life the same as the trial and
error of clay. I ask a question of myself and the answer comes out through the process of pottery.

I worked through these questions in my mind by attempting to represent them in clay. The bubble vessel
is inspired by the amorphous and bubbling nature of shifting and changing thought. Collapsed and re-assembled
forms reflect learning from failure. Wheel-thrown circular teapots imitate the circular quality of growth.

I began exploring mushrooms as a subject because of how they holistically represent adaptation and
growth. Mushrooms create a mycelium network of roots. Mycelium is the root-like structure of a fungus consisting
of a mass of threat-like branches. The mushroom is actually the “fruit” of the fungus, while the rest of the fungus is
found entirely underground and out of sight. Much of our personal struggle and development remains unseen, like
a mushroom’s root system.

Surface effects and repeated firing processes reflect the layers of thought and internal dialogue that decorate my mind. Bisque firing several times, creating glaze combinations, applying layers of color, scraping down, re-layering, bubble under glazing, raku firing in a barrel, and burning horse hair and feathers to carbonize on the surface are significant parts of my process.

The theme of fungi is a visual representation of adaptation from decay. The entire process of pottery is
representative of failure necessary for success. I have grown through things I never thought were possible to live through. I have experienced great loss and trauma in my life. These experiences are what have given me the inspiration to pursue the concepts of growth, struggle, and overcoming challenges in my art.

From a wet ball of clay to forming and firing multiple times, the process is embedded with challenge, failure, and risk, similar to life.

Marlaina's first ever childhood vase made from clay she found in the river.

One of Marlaina's recent vases

Why I teach

Working with clay has been a part of human existence for millennia. Ever since humans discovered clay in the earth, we have been sculpting it in ways remarkably similar to today. The need for pottery is deeply ingrained in human culture. No matter where you are from, what language you speak, or what occupation you have, pottery offers a grounding and centering experience.
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Engaging in pottery allows us to connect with our roots, nourishing our souls and reminding us to be present in the beautiful lives we have been given. It transcends boundaries, offering people from all walks of life the chance to come together, enjoy, and struggle with the same creative process. Pottery fosters community, trust, and mutual learning. We need community, and we need pottery.