Larissa McGinnity
Larissa has had a connection to Beaver Island for many years as she grew up. Spending summers and eventually moving to the Island year round in 2013.
She studied ceramic art at Hollins University in Roanoke VA, and at Central Michigan University in Mt.Pleasant MI.
Larissa has always had a passion for both working with clay and Beaver Island. In 2016 she established St. James Pottery Studio, and was finally able to bring both worlds together. Starting out small, in the garage attached to the house, she made pottery to sell locally, and on the mainland. In 2020, she and Mark started renovating the barn on the property that is now currently the home of St. James Pottery. Having space to work, and a showroom to sell, has made her passion blossom into a thriving business.
Mark Engelsman
Mark was drawn to fine crafts, and artistic design at a young age. Originally from Grand Rapids, Mark moved to North Carolina to study furniture making and design in the early ‘90s. After getting his degree, he moved back to Michigan and started his own furniture making studio in the Grand Rapids area. Eventually he started a company that built museums, and in this trade, learned many unique skills such as blacksmithing to enhance the historical authenticity of the museums he was working on.
A man of many talents and interests, he is also a certified dive instructor, and currently owns Happy Paddle, a kayak and bicycle rental business on Beaver Island. He started working with Larissa in 2018, and quickly picked up the skills needed to make pottery. Mark has a trained eye for aesthetics and design, that has transferred well to ceramics.
