Marcia Erickson is a ceramist who grew up in the Clear Lake area of Houston in the time of moon landings and a climate of extreme excitement and optimism. She attended University of Houston, where she was an elite athlete in volleyball, studied computer science and mathematics, and attained a BS in Math. Marcia spent a decade as a computer programmer during the dot-com boom before seeking out art as an avenue of expression and finding a wonderful and vibrant community. She studied drawing, watercolor and art history at LoneStar College and was drawn to ceramics because of its technical challenges and the tactile nature of the medium.
Marcia enjoys constructing functional pieces of deeply textured slabs mixed with offbeat elements: “The concepts of my work in clay are always derived from my immersion in and reaction to my everyday environment. I thrive on creating work with a measure of spontaneity. My recent work features ceramic chains. They are symbolic of issues of security and of limited access.”
During her residency, she hopes to revisit and refine her functional pieces, using stamps, texture and sgraffito. She also plans to continue her research in addressing the challenging technical issues of mid-range oxidation firing, having come to deeply appreciate the labor-intensive process of wood-firing and its occasional brilliant results.
Marcia studied ceramics with several excellent professors in the Houston area, including former HCCC resident artists, Lotus Witt Bermudez and Jeff Forster. (She is primarily influenced by Robby Wood and Bermudez, who were former students of Huey Beckham.) Marcia volunteers with ClayHouston and Empty Bowls Houston and frequently conducts artist demonstrations at events around town. Her work has been exhibited in numerous local, regional and national galleries.
