Marienne Chapman
Marienne Chapman was born and raised in California. She has lived and worked in New York, Maui, and around the Bay Area. After graduating from U.C. Riverside with a degree in Theatre, she began her career as the stage management intern with the National Actor’s Theater in New York. She continued working in the theatre as a Stage Manager both on and off Broadway for nine years. Following 9/11 and feeling a need to return to family and the Bay Area, she studied to become a Pastry Chef at the California Culinary Academy, another of her life’s passions. This took her into the world of retail cafés, bakeries, and hotels. Here her love of working with her hands was explored and developed.
Then several years ago, Marienne tried a ceramic throwing class and that was it. She was hooked. Her pastry skills translated well into pottery, and she uses many of the same techniques to make her work today. “They are works inspired by what I love in the world around me.”
Lately, Marienne has been working on what she calls her “chandelier dots.” These are inspired by the idea of draped jewels in form and as decoration. “I have Art Deco and Nouveax visions in mind when placing the dots. More specifically, the curved womanly shaped pieces are often inspired by the idea of Josephine Baker and her costumes of the 1920’s as she traveled through Europe.”
Whether it comes from a love of the ocean, dessert, or design, each unique piece is lovingly crafted by hand with extraordinary detail.
