Dallas County
Face
Jugs/Folk Pottery
Michael (POPI) Annis was first introduced to the creation of
pottery when he was in high school. The only teacher whose name he
remembers was his art teacher, Mrs. Cox. She inspired him to express his
talents through the hands-on work of clay. Michael not only creates his
own pottery, he also makes original mold castings for the City of Selma Ceramic
Arts Program.
Michael saw his first face jug on a television show and was
impressed by the amazingly high value of the antique piece. Using scraps
of clay that he and others had left behind, Michael began applying the scraps
to pottery to create his version of the old favorite. While most face
jugs are designed to resemble the devil, Michael’s characters are happier
versions that he sometimes names. Not one to waste, Michael paints his
jugs with old paints that were left behind by a friend. He fires his
pieces twice and then glazes them.
POPI’s pottery is also available
at Southern Hub, Selma.