Work of Your Hand

"But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you our Potter; and we all are the work of your hand."  -Isaiah 64:8

I find it difficult to go to craft and art shows and not be overwhelmed by the amount of talent and beauty that come from the hands of "regular" people. I give myself plenty of time to browse around at every booth and that usually means I find something that I would like to buy from every vendor. Even if the piece does not at first appeal to me, sometimes it's the craftsmanship with a closer look, or wonder at the scale and inspiration of it that cause me to say "I like this" or "If I had the money, I would buy this".

I am a big fan of pottery and I have managed to justify many a purchase for myself, or a lovely piece for a friend, over the years. We have an unbelievable amount of talented potters in the Birmingham area- and even an awesome studio, Cahaba Clayworks, right in my own hometown. To hold a beautiful finished piece of pottery in your hand and to remember where it came from (mud) can be a real opportunity to give glory to God. Not only can we thank Him for the gifts He bestowed on the individual potter and to rejoice that this artist fostered his or her talent, we can even remember our own creation at the hands of Our Father; after all, we were mud once too.

A great piece by my favorite local potter, Susan Freeman

Taking a pottery class is an item on my ever growing bucket list. I have chatted with a few potters and have  tremendous respect for the time, artistry and skill that it takes to create a piece from scratch. For some reason, I have stood in front of a blank canvas and a row of paints knowing I had to come up with something and felt much less intimidated than standing over a pottery wheel. If there is a potter sitting at that wheel, however, it's clear to see how forgiving and cooperating the clay is to the sometimes gentle and sometimes harsh guiding of a hand. Little imperfections or the hint of something the potter does not want in the finished piece can be removed if the clay is giving. If things are really looking bleak, the potter can step back and entirely change the direction that he was going with the piece. Even so, sometimes a finished piece may look great, but can ruin in the kiln- and ruin other pieces that were placed in a close vicinity.

Now, take a look at the above paragraph remembering the idea that God is the potter and we are clay. He is trying to get the best possible result from us. He pushes us and pulls us and guides us into the men and women of character that He wants us to be. He gives us everything we need to survive the firing that we experience in this life. Unlike the clay used by the potter it is our own fault if we attend only to our outward beauty and find ourselves and those around us ruined in the end by our own problems. Our Father is the potter who never gives up.

Bryan Jordan at the wheel

I have come to love Raku pottery, a method where beautiful colors are actually formed by tossing a kiln fired piece in a metal trash can with pine straw that catches on fire. Of course, the Catholic in me can't help thinking of Purgatory and how beauty and goodness is brought out in us through the fire of God's purifying love. I have especially admired the Raku method through the work of local artist Bryan Jordan (pictured above) and his mother, Laura, and proudly own several of their pieces.

Larry Allen's great work from Cahaba Clayworks

Let me suggest that you take a closer look at some pottery next time you have the opportunity and if you purchase a nice piece (or if you get one from me for Christmas-- ha ha) think about being good clay in the hands of the Potter, yourself, whenever you admire it. Birmingham area friends- you'll get a great chance to admire and purchase work in just two weeks at the Blue Light Special Art show at Leeds' Cahaba Clayworks studio. (I went last year and it was unbelievable- and not just pottery!) Your $2 admission goes to First Light Women's Shelter, as does the gourmet soup you purchase for lunch, and all of the potters that I mentioned above will have items for sale- many marked down for end of the year sales! I hope to see you there- Dec. 10 and 11!