This is my second Log Cabin Journal post featuring an
amazing woman of Hocking Hills.
Today, I introduce clay artisan,
Jenny Beard, who is a retired
Marion County school administrator. Jenny and her husband, David, moved to
Hocking Hills in 2005, and together they built a beautiful home in the natural
wooded setting of the Hocking State Forest.
A few years ago, Jenny was given the opportunity to put her
hands into the creative art of clay, mentored by experienced artisans, Mary
Holl and Bobbi Bishop. Jenny’s creative side bloomed in her clay garden pieces.
In addition to earning her Master Gardener certification, Jenny, through clay
art, has taken her retirement to a new and challenging level, expanding her
talent.
You might ask, why clay art? What is clay art? Why has Logan
Clay Products, become a sort of mecca for artists who take a fancy to making beautiful
garden art out of clay sewer pipes? It’s
all a matter of perspective, you see.
In Jenny's home gardens, she displays beautiful clay accent pieces, i.e. tall pipes and sculpture. My own garden has several of “Jenny pieces” that I cherish,
because I know how much passion and energy she puts into her clay art.
Meeting Jenny at Logan Clay Products on a chilly April
morning, I followed her upstairs to the work loft, where many already completed
clay pieces were waiting to be put into the kiln after several weeks of drying.
On that April morning I interviewed Jenny, two workmen rolled new manufactured pipes into to the loft
area on an old loading wagon that had been in use since the early 1900’s. I
watched as Jenny soaked flannel blankets in a bucket of
water, and then draped them around each pipe to moisten them overnight,
rendering them pliable enough to work with her hands.
Jenny moved to another area of the loft, removing a blanket
from a tile she’d left the night before, ready to go to work. I sat on a small
wooden stool and watched, fascinated by the process, as Jenny transformed a
clay sewer pipe into a work of garden art, as seen in the photographs. This
piece took about an hour to prepare. I could not believe the amount of strength
it took to work and mold the clay.
Also featured in today’s blog is Bobbi Bishop, a retired art
teacher in the Worthington City School System. Bobbi Bishop and her husband
Bruce Bishop, twenty-three years ago, created
Lilyfest, an annual event held on
the second full weekend of July. Jenny Beard is one of over eighty vendors who
exhibit and sell their art to the public.
There is no admission fee to get into
Lilyfest. Instead,
donation barrels are located on the property, all monies going to scholarships
and programming. As you can see, this pay-it-forward kind of community action
and reaction is a prime example of community service at its best.
The day I visited the art loft of Logan Clay to interview
Jenny, Bobbi Bishop was painting several pieces of garden art before placement in
the kiln to be fired.
The pieces are delicate and every attempt is made to
protect them during the firing process. Even the tiniest of air bubbles left in
the clay can cause the prepared piece to crack in the 2000 degree heat of the
kiln. After firing, the clay pieces will be left in the kiln to cool down
slowly before being removed.
Logan Clay Products Company had its beginnings way back in
1876, until fire destroyed the plant in 1920. In 1921, the plant was rebuilt on
the original site in Logan, Ohio. In 1957, all kilns were converted from coal
fired to natural gas, resulting in stronger pipe bodies, thus allowing Logan
Clay to stop glazing their pipe products.
In 1958, Logan Clay built a 360 foot tunnel kiln where pipe
moved through the kiln on rail cars with a gradually rising temperature, from
300 deg. F to 1550 deg. F, and then rapidly heated to 2000 deg. F. Wow! Now,
that’s hot. In 1987, the tunnel kiln was computerized.
In 1979, Richard H. “Dick” Holl was promoted to President
and Chief Executive Officer. Dick, a beloved member of the Logan community passed away on October 13, 2005. Today, Dick’s support and love of community lives on through the Holl Foundation with Mary Holl, Dick’s
widow, serving as a Board Member.
Next month’s Amazing
Women of Hocking Hills will feature Bobbi Bishop. Bobbi and her husband, Bruce,
are the organizers of
Lilyfest. Although
Bruce passed away in 2002, his passion for art and nature is reflected in Bobbi’s
continuation of the annual art and garden event in Hocking County.
During the weekend (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) July 11th, 12th, and 13th, 2014, come to
Lilyfest and visit
Jenny Beard’s exhibit of clay garden art available for purchase. There are over eighty other artisan vendors on the beautiful
Lilyfest grounds. Take a leisurely walk through the many gardens maintained by volunteers and leave the hustle and bustle of the outside world behind.
