Page 137 - South Mississippi Living - November, 2024

Dave Marshall with his pottery.
Both artists point out the beneficial feelings of being involved with art. “I find it relaxing, a great opportunity to know new people and to explore hidden talents,” Marshall said. “Pottery requires you to put the ‘stuff of the world’ out of your mind for a while as you concentrate on pottery.”
Quinn, who currently teaches classes at the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum, says, “The beauty is that creating is timeless. There is always something new to learn or a skill to meet. But there is also a community to be a part of. My students have a common bond that brings them together. Age is not a factor. Just the thrill of sharing the process of creating.”
“Your success with pottery – and I’m sure other arts – requires you to focus on the work in progress. Another strong aspect of my pottery world has been experiencing the growth of other potters whom I would very likely have never known,” Marshall said. “Recently, I had an opportunity to share my 26 years of experience with people who are holding clay in their hands for the very first time, this is very rewarding.”
He is currently enrolled in classes with Brian Nettles Pottery in Pass Christian and finds it’s great for retirees. “As we retire we often lose some of our physical abilities and pottery does not require many of these more demanding abilities. At the same time it keeps you from curling up on the couch in the fetal position doing nothing.”
Quinn believes art speaks to every age. “I can teach the same lesson to elementary students as I can to adults,” she said. “The skill level and the attention span may be different, but the excitement of creating is the same. The child likes the freedom and excitement of something new. The adult has
the challenge and excitement of letting go of judgement and finding their child within.”
Stressing that his art is a hobby not a business, Marshall’s family and close friends have first choice of his creations and he donates some to charitable organizations. “Additionally, if someone sees a piece they would like to have, my response is ‘take it and donate to your favorite charity,’” he added.
Quinn’s class numbers at the Ohr Museum have grown so now there are enough students who have progressed to an intermediate level to offer watercolor for beginners/ intermediate and watercolor for intermediates. She enjoys seeing her students grow and get to know each other. “Art brings people together,” she says.
With her own art, she is mostly inspired by her surroundings, but she also finds inspiration from other artists. “I find that I now see my own surroundings through the perspective of the artists’ works we have studied,” she says. “A building or a tree that I have driven past I might now see through the perspective of other artists. It is through this ever-changing way of seeing that makes art ageless.”
Above: Rosalie McIntosh and Cissy Quinn. Right: Susan Snyder in art class.
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