LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Sanctuary found
By J . Damon Cain
The tumblers , plural because they come with different glazes and textures and are not mass manufactured but created one at a time , feel just right in either hand as if they were made just for me – even though I know that they were not .
Jeff Diehl is a master potter and I try not to miss any of his shows , especially now that they are less frequent and held out at the farm , his farm at Lockbridge Pottery , or rather his and Donna ’ s farm because she puts in most all of the work in the garden . Their ’ s is a comfortable pairing , Jeff and Donna , but also with farm and fire given all of Jeff ’ s dishes and platters that accept the generous bounty of Donna ’ s long summer of toiling to keep the vegetables in their respective lanes and the deer out of the produce .
I am an old farmboy and I can tell you that the Diehl ’ s farm speaks to me .
It does not hurt that Jeff and Donna are down-to-earth , humble , good natured , welcoming folks – conversant on any number of topics . Look up “ good company ” in your Merriam-Webster and their faces may be there . The shows are always circled on the calendar , a good visit , a comfortable return to the farm for me . The next one , by the way , is Oct . 11-12 .
I have made it something of a mission over the years to collect the various manifestations of those tumblers that are such a perfect fit for me and other such vessels that Jeff has turned from the magic of his potter ’ s wheel . Now crowding our cupboards are a series of those tumblers but also shot glasses , juice glasses and one particular cup that he calls his roly poly because it is circular in shape , not a rectangle to be found , and resists even my most clumsy attempt to knock it over . Side benefit is that its rim holds a fine ring of salt for margaritas .
Jeff tells me that each piece that he
Jenny Harnish , The Register-Herald
Lockbridge Pottery , not far down a narrow strip of blacktop from Meadow Bridge , is what rural folks would regard with just a tinge of neighborhood pride as a well-kept place – complete with a large garden , a small pond , multiple ovens for various types of firings , and outbuildings to accommodate the tools and machinery of the enterprise and provide enough floor space for a pottery exhibit .
makes has a story – and I believe that to be true .
In the pages that follow are the stories of many other artists and artisans from the southern , rural reaches of this beautiful plot of land . I rejoice in them all because , like Jeff and Donna , they offer something unique , something you cannot get anywhere else because their works are created from a singular focus – and their own hands .
As editor , I am blessed to know that the hollers and mountains are stuffed silly with talent . And , similarly , many of these fine folks are seeking the isolation , the sanctuary , the quiet and the elbow room that you can find here . It is a drawing card .
Jeannette Justice , who with her husband Wayne operates a small jewelry business out of their home in Elgood , which she describes as “ a beautiful mountain area with lots of forest and beautiful views . ... We live at the end of a long , gravel , private road and love the solitude and peace there .”
Yes , it ’ s quiet out here , but there ’ s something else at work , too . Listen to Lauren Tilden , a portrait artist who has settled in Summers County . “ Since moving here ,” she says , “ I ’ m overwhelmed with thinking of the different possibilities or directions I could go to with my work . I love my portraits , but there ’ s a different element out here in West Virginia .”
Indeed , something different , something worth exploring , stories worth telling .
I hope you enjoy those that we have found for this edition of South . I think they make a fine fit .
J . Damon Cain is editor of West Virginia South and The Register-Herald in Beckley , W . Va . He is a fan of the San Francisco Giants , the Iowa Hawkeyes , good beer , black Labs and his family . Over the course of a 44-year career , he has won myriad journalism awards , including those for writing , newspage design and photo editing .
The Register-Herald photo
4 � SOUTH � SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER ’ 24