Submitted
The Little Garden Club traveled to Earth and Fire Pottery for its February meeting held Thursday, Feb. 5. President Linda Buskirk called the meeting to order, and members joined in the club prayer.
Buskirk then introduced Brandon Cochran, co-owner of Earth and Fire Pottery, who presented an interesting and informative program on the fine art and functional craft of pottery making. What began as a family endeavor became a full-time business on Sept. 5, 2020, when the shop officially opened.
Cochran designed the Earth and Fire logo to reflect God’s creation of man from the dust of the earth. God formed man, breathed into him the breath of life, and we became His vessels. He is the Potter, and we are the clay, the work of His hands.
In a similar way, earth represents the dust — the clay and mud — while fire represents the kiln, which is necessary to transform the clay into a usable vessel.
Cochran reviewed the stages involved in creating a piece of pottery. The detailed process includes obtaining and preparing the clay, molding, drying, sanding, firing, glazing, cleaning and re-glazing.
A graduate of Delta State University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, Cochran said he experimented with various mediums before settling on pottery. He majored in crafts with a minor in painting. He finds working with clay both rewarding and relaxing and feels humbled to have this gift.
After the program, members enjoyed refreshments provided by Linda Buskirk and Trish Cullen while browsing through the shop.
Those present were Mary Al Alford, Mary Bess Bryant, Linda Buskirk, Kathy Cox, Trish Cullen, Jean Fenwick, Maggie Garrett, Patsy Gilmore, Cindy Glazier, B.J. Jenkins, Lynn Wiggers and guest Abigail Glazier.
