A little faith can lead to big results, which is why mustard has a central role in Isaac and Karina Shue’s Newton business, Gallery Mostaza.
Isaac Shue will give an artist talk at Bethel College March 12 at 7 p.m. in the Administration Building chapel, as part of the periodic Greer Lecture series.
Gallery Mostaza opened in 2025 on Main Street in Newton, moving from its original location in Harper, Kan., where Shue grew up.
“Mostaza” is Spanish for “mustard.” The Shues picked the name to evoke the Parable of the Mustard Seed in the Christian Bible. Jesus tells the parable to illustrate the effects of even a small amount of faith, since a minuscule mustard seed can grow into a large, sturdy plant.
Shue has degrees from Hesston (Kan.) College and Goshen (Ind.) College, where he studied art. He had always enjoyed sketching, drawing and painting – and then at Goshen, he had to take a ceramics class.
He loved it, and eventually bought his own wheel and started throwing. Somewhat to his surprise, his bowls were a popular item at the end-of-the-school-year student art sale. That was when he first thought he might be able to make a living with his art.
Isaac met Karina in Bolivia, her home country, while on a church service trip. They got married and made their home in Harper.
Shue came to Bethel College to get his teaching credentials, and then taught art in the Cheney, Kan., schools while Karina worked as an ESL translator. He made pottery in his spare time and sold it on weekends at farmers markets and festivals.
Eventually, they took the leap of faith to start their own full-time pottery business. Gallery Mostaza was born in a remodeled house and garage just outside Harper.
Their Christmas open house drew 500 people and became an annual event. One year, a friend asked for a clay pumpkin, so Shue made one, though he thought it was a strange request.
However, the pumpkins proved so popular that Gallery Mostaza now has an annual pumpkin patch in September with hundreds of ceramic pumpkins, and they sell out.
At the new Newton location, people lined up an hour ahead of opening for both the pumpkin patch and the Christmas open house.
The Christmas event features mugs, bowls, angels, Christmas boxes, ornaments, lanterns, candles and more, usually more than 3,000 items each year, Shue says.
The Shues and their children, Xavi and Natalia, live in the apartment above Gallery Mostaza. For more information on the business, see www.gallerymostaza.com
Greer Lectures at Bethel College, which bring visiting artists to campus to speak, teach and/or perform, are made possible by the Milford E. Greer Fine Arts Endowment, established in 1979.
Bethel is a four-year liberal arts college founded in 1887 and is the oldest Mennonite college in North America. Bethel is ranked #25 in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Regional College Midwest for 2026. Bethel was the only Kansas college or university to be named a Truth, Community Healing and Transformation (TCHT) Campus Center, in 2021. For more information, see www.bethelks.edu
