Welcome to Arteach
professional artists bringing inspiration and creativity from the studio to the classroom
Marjan Wouda
Where were you born?
On a dairy farm in the North of Holland
Where do you live now?
In Darwen, in an old house with an outbuilding which is where I have my studio
Why did you become an artist?
Drawing was something I always found myself coming back to especially to explore difficult things life was throwing at me. I have also always been a do-er and a maker, and find that no other activity can give me the satisfaction I get from having made something like an original drawing or sculpture. (After that everything else seems a bit like a waste of time or a drain on my resources)
Why did you choose sculpture?
I had very little opportunity to ever work with clay while I was at school in Holland. The little I did get certainly gave me a taste for it. However, when at Art College I had to choose between painting and sculpture, I really wanted to do both. Also I was a bit afraid of choosing sculpture because I never felt confident about making things out of hard materials such as wood, stone or metal. It was on the advice of the Head of the college that I finally chose sculpture: he thought that my drawings revealed an interest in 3 Dimensional forms. Once in the sculpture department I never looked back.
How long does it take you to make a sculpture?
Of course there is no sculpture without preparation such as drawing and finding information such as skeletons. After that it all depends on the size. A Marquette (small hand-held sculpture) can take an hour to three hours. A life-size cat or dog, 3-5 days and monumental piece several months.
What strange things do you use in your work?
A knitting-, a bark- and a rope-mould. While dishcloths and netting from fruit baskets make really good patterns when imprinted onto clay (such as reptile-skin), some things such as rope give you a disappointing effect. However, if you make a ceramic mould of these things by pushing them into a soft bed of clay, removing them and firing the clay tablets, you can reproduce the positive texture of rope or bark by pushing soft clay into these moulds.
Which tool can you not live without?
What would you have been if you had not been an artist?
I would have worked with people in a caring profession if possible through the arts such as in music or art therapy.
Latest News
Arteach Welcomes New Members
We have been promising to do this for a while and better late than never but Arteach has expanded the membership by 3 new artists
Hidden Haworth Project
Arteach member Julie miles has been working with youth groups and the Haworth Art Gallery over the summer to create ceramic sculptures inspired by the house itself.
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