Luke Judge

Published 11:40am Tuesday, March 1, 2011

By KENNEDY TOLBERT / Community Columnist

Sylvia McDonald is a retired English teacher who lives in Wilsonville. after retiring, she decided she wanted to pursue her artistic talent and began taking pottery classes from The Shelby County Art Council and the John C. Campbell Folk School in North Carolina.

“When I was studying pottery in college, I never realized how much was actually involved. The instructors chose the clay body, made the glazes and fired the pottery. All we did was make the pots. When I decided to take up pottery again, I had to learn all the basics that I had not learned in college,” she said.

Along with learning from her instructors, fellow potters, books and online sources were other resourses she used to get started.

“Now I know enough to get by in the world of electric-fired stoneware. Finally I was able to convert my basement into a pottery studio and have just recently begun to vend my pottery at local arts and crafts shows.  I have named my studio Sweetgum Pottery, and I am working on establishing a web site,” she said.

Sylvia McDonald stands surrounded by her unique handmade and hand painted pottery. (Contributed)

Sylvia has always enjoyed pottery, but because of the expense of the equipment and work space needed, it did not become a true outlet for her creative energy until after she had retired. she explained, “as an art major at the University of Montevallo, I studied art history, drawing, painting, sculpture and pottery. I enjoyed all of these, and I still draw and paint, but I was most passionate about pottery. Now, I spend every free moment I can get playing in the mud.”

When she first started her studio, it was a hobby. she would give her pottery to family and friends as gifts for birthdays and Christmas.

Then people began ordering similar pieces from her to give as wedding gifts and such. With encouragement from these people, she began to go to arts and crafts shows.

One of her signature styles is her personalized pieces.

“I make decorative and functional wheel-thrown and hand-built stoneware pottery. The stoneware pottery is food, microwave, dishwasher and oven safe. This Christmas, I made a two-piece African violet self-watering pot with a decorative band that had the recipient’s initials on the band. Another order was a large serving platter with a monogram. it takes about three weeks to complete a typical personalized or special order item,” she said.

Serving bowls, coffee mugs, casserole dishes, platters, plates and vases are a few of the items she makes regularly.

“I really enjoy hand-building more than throwing on the wheel. When I throw on the wheel, more likely than not, I end up either altering the form or adding some element of hand building to the piece. I do like to make special orders because the hardest part, deciding what to make, has already been done!”

Sylvia said, “I am ready now to expand my pottery to include alternative firing methods such as raku, smoke-fired, saggar-fired and terra sigillata.” she can be reached at . Kennedy Tolbert, the community columnist for Wilsonville, can be reached at .

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Published: Tuesday, December 28, 2010, 7:00 AM Jessica Scott | The Grand Rapids PressBrandon Rozema, 13, of Wyoming, passes Thomas Breazeale, 13, of Grandville, to score during a one-on-one hockey game at Grandville’s Wedgewood Park ice rink

GRANDVILLE — two pairs of shoes marked the goal posts as Thomas Breazeale and Brandon Rozema played hockey this week in Wedgewood Park. Although grass poked through some sections of the ice that covers about one-fourth of a football field, the surface on the whole was pretty good, the boys said.

“It’s better than paying for ice time at a rink,” said Brandon, 13, of Wyoming.

For the first time in perhaps a quarter-century, Grandville has built an outdoor sheet of ice. The unsupervised area in the park at 3373 Wilson Ave. SW opened last week for free use. Some parking-lot lights were rotated to give the ice some visibility from dusk until dawn, and a portable toilet is on site.

Thomas and Brandon said they plan to return with more friends and real hockey nets.

Response to the rink will be “a good barometer to see how much interest there really is” in having permanent public ice, Mayor James Buck said. an open-air pavilion that could accommodate ice skating is part of a proposed $5.8 million downtown streetscape overhaul that also would narrow Chicago Drive to make room for on-street parking.

“It’s a nice little addition that you’ve got this time of year,” Buck said of the ice surface. “if you could build one of those right in the downtown area, that would be classic.

“That’d be pretty nifty if you can go skating December, January, February and even into early March.”

But Ron Carr, public works director, already has concerns about this week’s forecast, which calls for temperatures to surpass 40 degrees the last two days of the year. so far, this month’s cold nights — low temps have been below freezing since Thanksgiving —- have given the city the chance to nurse the rink, he said.

Carr said it has probably been 20 to 25 years since Grandville last had an outdoor ice rink. The cost of labor, water and fuel to sweep the ice are the only expenses, he said.

“It’s a budget ice rink,” Carr said. “This will give us some indication of interest in having ice in Grandville (long-term).

“We’ve looked at synthetic ice for (a possible downtown rink). That’s hopefully the future.”

Holland spent $5,200 this winter on a temporary 75- by 100-foot rink, including a liner and 18-inch-high boards around the outside, that could lead to a permanent refrigerated rink.

Grandville’s streetscape proposal, which has been postponed until 2012 as officials await a possible $1 million state grant, includes a pavilion that could be used for skating in the city parking lot west of Wilson and south of Chicago.

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ceramics Pottery Collectables barometer, breazeale, december 28, jessica scott, wilson ave

I can’t believe it’s almost October. Seriously. Where did the year go? My brain is still warming up to the idea of winter coats and impending snow storms, but product launches like this one make it a little bit easier. Heath just released images of their new winter 2010 collection* and those deep cherry reds make me long for a hot cup of cocoa and a pile of marshmallows on top. I can already imagine curling up on the couch with these mugs and watching a holiday movie, so if you’re looking for something to nestle up with this winter, click here to check out the collection online. xo, grace

*The collection will be available for purchase on October 1st.

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Perugia was first settled by the Umbri around 550 B.C. This pre Etruscan people spoke Umbrian, a relative of Latin. It was later conquered by the Etruscans and became Perusia one of the 12 city states of Etruria, land of the Etruscans. Relics from this cultural period remain in the Etruscan Well and the Estruscan wall. It was conquered by Rome in 310 BC.

In the middle ages Perugians refused to pay Pope Paul III a tax on salt and to this day Perugians bake crisp saltless butterless bread.

The University of Perugia dates its history to 1276 (the date on the University banner) when the town council voted to establish a Studium and it was formally recognized as a University by the Pope in 1308. Boasting 31,000 students the University offers courses in Perugia and throughout the Region in Assisi, Città di Castello, Foligno, Orvieto, Spoleto, and Terni.

Perugia is proud to claim a second university: The University of Foreigners where students come from all over the world to study Italian and other subjects. For a very reasonable fee you can study there for a month or longer. The University has programs for even rank beginners with no knowledge of the language.

Perugia hosts the Umbrian Wine Festival each year in mid march.

There are many beautiful and interesting places to see and things to do in the region that surrounds Perugia.

Assisi is, of course, close by, and it would be a shame to come this far without visiting the home of St. Francis. In addition to the Basilica of St. Francis you’ll want to see the castle on the hill, the Church of San Rufino and the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Angels.

In the latter you will find a “church within a church”, the Porziuncola, the tiny edifice where Christ appeared to St. Francis and promised that all sinners who crossed its threshold would be forgiven their transgressions.

For lovers of fine ceramics, Deruta, just 12 miles (20 kilometers) south, is a center for Majolica pottery and thus, a destination for pottery pilgrims from around the globe.

In Orvieto you can: visit the world famous Gothic cathedral; pay your respects to the Etruscan dead at an ancient necropolis (graveyard) Orvieto boasts two; and discover what ancient Etruscans looked like (thanks to a well preserved fresco). Take time to visit the Fortress of Albornoz and to see the underground city.

In Terni you can sit in a well preserved Roman amphitheater and nearby you can gaze in awe on the majesty of Marmore Falls Italy’s answer to Niagara. Lake Trasimeno is beautiful at least from a distance.

On its northern shores Hannibal defeated Roman legions through a clever stratagem.

Some Italians consider Umbrian cuisine to be the best Italy has to offer.

Truffles are mushrooms with a mild garlic like flavor that grow in the ground near tree roots. Umbrian truffles are famous throughout Europe.

Black and white Umbrian truffles are used to flavor local specialty cheeses made from goat’s milk. Walnuts, black pepper, red pepper, and local Umbrian wine are also used to flavor the Formaggio pecorino (sheep’s milk cheese).

The local cuisine also benefits from fresh fish from nearby Lake Trasimeno where fishermen daily land eel, perch, trout and carp.

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