Marshall Colman
‘I’ve lived in St Albans for over 35 years. I worked as
Head of Economic Development for Welwyn Hatfield Council and I’ve been a ceramic artist since I retired.
My grand-parents came from Latvia, Lithuania and Romania, and my parents were born in London.
I grew up in the London suburbs – my mother hated the East End and wanted to live in one of the new houses being built in what was called “Metroland”.’
'This photo is of my maternal grandfather, Morris Zeital,
in around 1930. He is on the right, nearest the camera. Morris came to England from Daugavpils, Latvia and worked as a cigarette maker at the Ardath factory in Worship Street, London. He was in poor health, worsened by tobacco dust, and was often an outworker, making cigarettes at home with my grandmother in their tiny flat on the Boundary Estate in Shoreditch.’
‘While studying at Keele University, near the
North Staffordshire Potteries, I became fascinated by ceramics. After retiring I did a Ceramics degree, setting up a studio in St Albans where I work as a ceramic artist and writer.
This piece is from a range called Harlequin.
I’m interested in the place where art and manufacturing meet.’
