Faith, Folklore, and Friends

If you read this missive regularly, you know that Jerry Brown and his art have a special place in my heart.  I wrote about his pottery  here,   here,  and  here .  Mr. Brown became ill early Thursday morning, and passed away late Friday.  Before his death, he insisted that the festival go on. Hub and I got to Hamilton about 11:30, and the Brown booth only had a few items left.  The people working there told us that the store was empty, and these shelves held the only items that were left of his work. I bought one last piece that Mr. Brown had signed, and stood in line a while to pay for it. Mr. Brown's work was always the highlight of the festival, but there were many more wonderful artists there. My friend, George Jones, Jr., with his fabulous handmade brooms. With Mr. Brown gone, I have to wonder about the future of this festival.  I really hope it continues.

Jerry Brown's Pottery Shop is located just a few miles from Hamilton, Alabama.  It is a beautiful place. There are shelves and tables of gorgeous pottery. Because it was Black Friday, Mr. Brown was offering 10% off everything in the store.  I really wanted one of each item, but I had to settle on one thing for my anniversary gift.  Decisions, decisions. Mr. Brown was also giving tours.  Here, he is explaining to Hub about how clay is turned until it is the consistency of play dough. Mr. Brown uses this mixer turned by a mule, just like his daddy did for many years. The elder Mr. Brown had Jerry helping with the pottery making when he was a very young child. Above: Mr. Brown with his mule, Blue.  Blue is thirty years old, and has been mixing clay for twenty eight and a half years.  Mr. Brown uses this gas powered kiln, and he also has two electric ones.  He told us the color of the glazes they use change according to which kil...

Archaeologists have found pottery in China that was made around 20,000 years ago.  I don't know when or how the first was made; maybe some one was wasting time by the river bank and found that it was fun to mold wet clay into shapes.  Maybe they came back later, after their creation had baked in the sun, and decided that it could be used to store things, to keep things dry, and drink out of.  If anyone knows who made the first pottery, please share that information with us.  I do know that it is still being made today, and it is just as beautiful and useful as it was way back then. I love pottery, and have several items that I have bought over the years.  At first, I bought every kind I could find, but I soon ran out of space and money, so now I buy only pottery from my favorite potter, Jerry Brown of Hamilton, Alabama. The pot above was made by Mr. Brown, and I treasure it.  If your interests include local pottery, I would highly recommend this b...