History Lesson

Posted on by gayle

Went to Southern Accents, Inc. in Cullman, AL today to browse the warehouses of architectural salvage materials. They have everything from old hardware, doors, leaded glass, knobs, to salvage wood. Amazing! It was a history lesson. One thing that struck me was some segregation era signs they had in a pile at the end of one counter. Some of them said “White Women Only” others said “Colored in the Rear” or something like that. It is bizzare that those times were not that long ago and remarkable how far we have come since. It makes me sad that people were hated for no reason other than the color of their skin. Pure ignorance and evil from the pit of hell.

It was a history lesson for me as well to see the doors, windows, mantels, door bells, hardware, and other items saved from the trash heap of time. SA is doing good work by saving these pieces of history and passing them on, and making a profit in true American fashion. They also make what was old new—SA has a complete wood shop that makes doors out of reclaimed wood. If you are ever in that neck of the woods, stop by. You will want to allow some extra time to browse through history.

Mud Wrestling

Posted on by gayle

Any of you who have tried pottery on a wheel understand what I mean by “mud wrestling” when centering the clay. As a novice, this is one of the most difficult aspects of throwing pottery. I know it is learned and becomes a “felt” thing, but it is difficult at the start. And even now, on my second round of classes, I had difficulty getting the clay to center up today.

My first round of classes at Cahaba Clayworks produced some work that only a mother could be proud of and a couple other things that will probably be displayed in my house. I am taking classes again because it is fun to get up to my elbows in mud and a challenge to make it from ball of clay to finished piece of whatever kind. The challenge rises as the piece develops because there are so many ways for a piece to go wrong along the way.

Attached is an image of my first pieces. My friend Shea posted a picture of her work, so I had to post mine. We had a great time in our class and our instructor Wade Oliver was very patient and helpful–great sense of humor too. He needs it if all his students were like us.

my first pottery