Marla Donovan - Owner, Artist

As a little girl growing up in Barranquilla , Colombia , my earliest memories include a strong interest in the arts. I loved to read and go to art exhibits.

Although I did not study art while in college; my love for the arts continued to grow and I began collecting art work done in various media. The female form has always been a particular favorite of mine and I enjoyed visiting museums who exhibited the works of Picasso, Gauguin, and definitely Matisse. I adore the work of Salvador Dali and have been lucky enough to have had the opportunity to visit his birthplace in Spain on more than one occasion.

In 1996, I began taking pottery classes along with my son Ernie. Ernie is very artistic and I thought it would be very nice to do something with him. Although he did not continue his classes, I stayed with it until 1997. In 2001, I began experimenting with hand built slab work and have produced a number of pieces of which I am quite proud. I prefer to paint on my work and each piece is hand glazed. Influenced by Matisse, I began painting his images on ceramic plates. I've also started sculpturing some, beginning with female torsos. I love to imagine a female and then bring her to life in clay.

I donate a lot of my work to charitable auctions and as my work has grown in popularity, I have been lucky enough to sell a number of pieces as well.

In 2003, I began looking for studio space and ended up buying an old warehouse in uptown New Orleans . My current art project is the conversion of this space into a shared studio for the creative arts. My dream is that when I retire, I will spend all my time in the studio teaching, creating, and sharing with others my love for the arts.