Monroe County
Pottery
Sam Williams was exposed to pottery in his father’s farm store.
The elder Mr. Williams had begun a collection of crocks and jars that Sam still
has. Together, father and son took pottery classes at a Brewton junior
college where Sam is still enrolled so many years later. His utilitarian
pottery is made to be admired and used. Sam’s natural enthusiasm for life is
expressed in his work with clay, and his boundless energy could keep him
creating every day.
Using the
traditional technique of a potter’s wheel, Sam creates high temp stoneware that
he likes to glaze in natural earth tones. His pottery is so precisely made that
when a piece is thumped with a finger; the clear tone of a bell rings
out. Sam calls his interpretation of a face jug a Devil Jug. A whisky jug
base provides the background for the horns, eyes, nose, mouth, and fangs of the
unworldly devils. Face jugs were first created by slave potters in the
1840s. Unable to determine their exact purpose, historians know they were
cherished by their creators because many were found on the long, arduous
journey along Underground Railroad trails.
To learn
more about Sam Williams, visit
http://www.potterybywilliams.com