P.E.I. retirees turn hobby into business

Couple focuses on pottery, painting and stained glass designs

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It’s a business name that just fits. Ken and Catherine Marshall of Birch Hill, P.E.I., operate Marshall Arts. The couple started Marshall Arts around 2015 in Manitoba. They moved to P.E.I. in October of 2020, just as the pandemic was getting into full swing, says Ken.

When they moved to the province, Ken was able to set up a part-time chiropractic office in Tyne Valley and it had enough room to have a display of pottery and art. So, Marshall Arts PEI is what they call themselves now.

Together, they focus on pottery, which Ken throws and does the dipping glazes for while Catherine does the brushed-on glazes for the more unique colours.

Ken is multi-talented in the arts. Besides creating pottery, for the past several years, he has done a series of pencil drawings. For the past three years, he has been working on watercolour paintings.

These paintings have been turned into prints, which are available framed or in cello envelopes.

The couple has since become involved with the arts and craft community in Prince Edward Island and have taken part in a few craft fairs and sales.

“When you have a hobby like pottery you can only give so many mugs away as presents,” says Ken.

Finding places to sell pottery becomes part of the process so you can make more and become better, he says.

For him, Ken’s way of relaxing in the mornings is to make a pot of coffee and sit out on the patio and draw or paint until they become tourists later in the afternoon.

“Moving to P.E.I. is kind of like that,” he says. “I feel like a tourist and have enjoyed finding local scenes and animals as subjects.”

His artwork has developed out of some of their holidays.

Catherine also works in several art forms. Besides working on the pottery, she also creates stained glass art.

Ken says Catherine’s sense of colour and her design and beading skills allows her to make a unique product.

It took about a year to get Catherine’s glass studio up and running.

Her creations always have something special, a curved wire to accentuate a design or coloured beads or odd colours that complement the piece.

Being a husband-and-wife artistic team works well, says Ken.

He says that Catherine’s support and encouragement allows him to do what he does.

“We are not huge production people so wherever we are selling, we take what we have. If a person is not in a hurry, we will take orders and make what they ask for,” he adds.

ART FOR ENJOYMENT

Ken says he enjoys it when someone comes to him wanting something different. For example, he had never heard of a shaving scuttle. The man who asked for it was not in a hurry, so Ken researched and figured out how to make them. Essentially, they are like a gravy boat with a dish attached to the top. Hot water goes in the bottom and keeps the shaving cream on top warm while you are shaving. The customer bought three

of them. Now, Ken usually has one or two for sale as he does find them fun to make.

Ken says he has always been a creative person, but it was not until later in life that it became a real focus. Then, when he and Catherine got together in 2009, the creative aspects of life became an integral part of their lives.

This is how he became interested in pottery. In the city where they used to live, pottery classes were offered at the art gallery. Ken says it was something that Catherine wanted to do, and Ken decided to try it with her.

“There was something about it that really interested me, and I continued on through several classes, eventually buying all the equipment to have my own studio,” says Ken.

Deciding what to throw is not really a problem, as he says he can always do mugs.

He says it is fun, however, to see how tall he can pull a lump of clay and make a tall vase or try to make a large bowl or tea pot. Each item is a different challenge.

“I like custom orders and enjoy doing something different that somebody wants and has asked for,” he says.

Today, the most popular item Ken makes is a starfish mug. The blue and birch coloured ones sell slightly better than the green tea and birch or the red and birch mugs.

As for his paintings, Ken says the ideas are almost always the result of an emotional experience.

“Something in the image or situation depicted has touched me or amused me and my job then becomes to try and express that emotion in the painting,” he explains.

Overall, for the Marshalls, art is mostly about the enjoyment. They are retired and create art when they want to.

They are also trying to get better at posting on Facebook at Marshall Arts Pottery. Otherwise, Ken’s plans are to get better at what he does, whether it be pottery or painting.

“We love to travel, so if our artwork can be profitable enough to allow us to see the world and our grandchildren then we are doing good,” he says.

During the summer, Marshall Arts will be part of the Avonlea Village Artisan Market and have a display of pottery and glass in PEI Creations in O’Leary. He also has framed prints on the walls at Richmond Bakin Express Coffee.