“One of my favorite spots on campus is the Stanford Ceramics Studio, a gem of a workplace tucked away in the Elliot Program Center by Lagunita. I’ve been active in that community since its inception when I was an undergraduate. I continue to engage with it through teaching classes, and use pottery as the stress relieving, creative pursuit in my life. The studio is utilized by an astounding diversity of folks from a wide spectrum of disciplines, all there because they love creating with clay. I have also enjoyed the tranquility the space offers when no one is around, such as during the wee hours of the morning. Those are some of the most productive, best-spent hours of my life.”
“Unlike my ceramics hobby, my formal background and training is in scientific illustration, which I have been fortunate to put into practice here on campus. I’ve been working with the Prakash Lab in Bioengineering, creating drawings to accompany some of the research going on there. It’s very exciting for me to be tangentially involved with such cutting-edge science; we recently had a piece featured in the New York Times! This is definitely some of the most exciting work I do, and I feel honored by the opportunity.”
Mattias Lanas, ’10, MS ’12, Earth Systems
Mattias is also a graduate of the Science Illustration Certificate Program at Cal State Monterey Bay. Mattias works at the Foster Art & Wilderness Foundation, a nonprofit based in Palo Alto, and is still involved with Stanford in many ways, including: Stanford Taekwondo, Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve (as a docent and frequent visitor), Talisman A Cappella (alum), as a guest teacher for Natural Perspectives: Geology, Environment, and Art in Owens Valley (offered fall and spring), and collaborating with the Prakash lab doing scientific illustrations. He grew up in Santiago, Chile (until the age of 13) and then Millburn, New Jersey.
Photographed at the Stanford Ceramics Studio on April 1, 2016.
