Donald (Doc) Marquardt grew up on a farm, working with tools. His fascination with making things let him to college where he earned a Ph.D. and became a high school shop teacher.

As a teacher, he stressed pride in craftsmanship and appreciation for the form and function of practical objects. As a teacher and craftsman, he understands that spinning and casting in pewter calls for the same patience as engaging a bored teenager.

As a student of the art, he values the legacy of the beautiful and functional utensils that have lived on as family treasures. His designs recall the care and aesthetics of those early artisans. His handcrafted pieces appeal to those who collect for this and later generations and who value the simple, soft, and subdued texture and color of pewter.

Donald's wife, Blenda, shares his appreciation of the cool, supple feel and soft glow of pewter. She has begun to explore the processes of spinning and casting pewter. Blenda and Donald discuss new designs and she sketches the designs that are then created in molds.

Donald and Blenda work in a large studio he constructed in a former tobacco barn. The setting reminds Donald of his simpler rural life.  Many days he raises the barn doors to savor the country setting he loves and to use the natural daylight for detailed finishing.  The studio combines two important aspects of his life, a love of fine craftsmanship and the joy of being back on the farm.

Often after a long day in the studio, Donald and Blenda tend their large garden or walk out to the pond to fish and watch the setting sun.


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