Art & Soul post #20 by guest author Denise Biery-
I’ve been a crafter for as long as I can remember, always sewing alongside my mom or learning by watching her make different crafts. At first, it was just fun, but as I grew up, I found it was a way to relax and challenge myself. Pottery was something I admired from a distance, thinking how fun it would be to try…..but I had the repeating thoughts of “Where? How? I don’t want to take a class.”
About 10 years ago, two of my friends and I had a girls’ weekend in Seagrove, North Carolina. This town has the largest concentration of working potters in the United States. I was so excited to hopefully see some potters at work. We visited about twenty different potteries. When we walked into Thomas Pottery, the owner was there in his shop throwing. Missy looked over at me and said, “You just want to get your hands in that, don’t you?” I answered, “Yes, I do!” He turned around and said, “Come on and try it.” Not only did he help me throw my first piece, but he also asked me for my name, address, and favorite color then later glazed the piece I had made and mailed it to me! That was the beginning of a great hobby that has blessed me, my family, and God’s kingdom.
When we returned home, my poor husband endured many hours of me talking about how I wanted to throw pottery. I began watching YouTube videos and reading about the topic. That Christmas, my husband surprised me with a portable wheel. I think it was more of a way for me to stop talking about it ….but, hey, whatever it takes. I loved that gift! I have eleven grandchildren and every one of them has been at my wheel. A few of them still come over and make their things. Some throw on the wheel, some hand build, but they all love to get their hands dirty. Pictured below are mugs with animal handles that I made for each of my grandkids.
After many, many hours of quiet time alone and practice, I slowly got better and more confident at making pottery. About a year after I got my wheel, my daughter got the idea that it would be fun for me to take my wheel to our church’s vacation bible school, do a demonstration for the kids, and then let them each take a turn at getting their hands dirty. Not long after agreeing to do this, I was talking to a lady at a back-to-school event at our church and she mentioned that her son, then twelve years old, liked to throw also. I told her that, if he wanted, he could come to VBS and team up with me. He came and we showed each other little ideas. Not long after that VBS, I got a phone call from his mom. She told me that he was thinking that maybe I would like to come to one of his pottery classes and learn with him. What a thoughtful twelve-year-old! I took a few additional classes from his teacher and kept practicing, and that began a sweet friendship between me and a young Steven Lloyd….which then also began a very special friendship between his mom, Janet, and me. And now she is an amazing potter too!
As I began to get better and was actually making usable items, I wondered what I would do with all of these things and started thinking, “Wouldn’t it be great if I could sell them and use the money as a way to help someone?” One day, my daughter called me and said she was having a “One of a Kind” craft show at her home and that I needed to get busy because she expected me to be there. I have had a show every year since. I choose a mission for each of my shows and all proceeds go to that mission. God is so good. He has used my craft to help so many!
A one-of-a-kind hand thrown pottery tabletop fountain by Denise Biery
The above hand thrown pottery tabletop fountain, was created for a Redeemer’s Heart Art for Charity Store live auction that runs until Sunday, June 12th, 2022. All profits from the sale of this piece will be given to Ozer Ministries and will be used for their Artisans Against Domestic Violence Art Exhibit on August 27th, 2022. It was thrown in two pieces with the center part covering a small pump that moves water up through a clear tube to overflow into the bowl. I was inspired to try a tabletop fountain because I love the sound of waves and trickling water in a stream. I am a water lover! I find it very relaxing to sit and just listen to the water.
Working with clay brings me peace and gratitude. As I talk with God while I sit and throw, the verse in Isaiah 64:8 (ESV) will run over and over through my mind: “But now, O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.” As I watch the piece take shape, I think of myself and others as the clay… how God has to handle us, center us, push us, pull us, build us up, push us down, and pick us up when we fall. Just as a potter shapes the clay, God continually molds us until He has shaped us into a vessel that fits His perfect plan…a vessel to be used for His glory!
Each piece I throw is a one of a kind. I do not try to make exact replicas of anything I create. Just as God made each one of us unique, so are my pottery pieces. We are all made differently with His specific design and purpose. I am so thankful and blessed that He uniquely molded and guided me to pursue this hobby and use it to advance His Kingdom. I encourage you to allow yourself to be uniquely molded and shaped to pursue the specific gifts and plan He has for you!
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1 thought on “The Work of His Hands”
Denise, thank you so much for sharing your story with us! You inspire me to not be afraid to try something new as I do my best to follow the plan God has for me. I love the fountain you created for the Art for Charity Store auction! It’s beautiful! Thank you so much for this donation! Ozer Ministries and domestic violence awareness is such a worthy cause!