The Palatka news and advertiser., 1917-09-21

terry has held and holds place pc
culiarly it's own.
The potter's craft as an art is,
however, of comparatively recent ori-
gin in America.
Of Niloak pottery someone has
said: perhaps it is the Southern
spirit of the Aztec and the Mexican
Indian which has stirred the people of
Arkansas to their worthy endeavors
in the field of ceramic art. Certainly
they are giving us something unique,
something worth while in their nat
ural and charming craftsmanship"
The story of its origin is told by
Allan Sawyer:
"a decade or so ago two men jour-
neying to the Southland for purposes
of regaining their health, sought the
magic springs of the Ozark Mountains
where Indians for centuries past had
made pilgrimages with superstltlous
; faith and with certain curative re-
suits. Unwittingly they stumbled
:, upon a fairyland of many colored
CLAWS. That these men were potters
was coincidence. They were not
, looking for work-they were seeking
health. They found both in the o.
:, arks. The clays were wonderful in
, both color and texture. The supply
seemed to be practically inexhaustl-
bic and as if Nature had not glver
: enough of her wonderful bounty, she
4 added natural gas to make firing ca
:. sv. But at first the pottery was
Il made in a primitive way, blind Ar
r kansas mule furnishing the motive
J. power"
J. and in bringing the pottery to stat
q of perfection. Today the son of on
of these men is the mastcr-cratts
g man who moulds Niloak, assisted b!
n TWENTY-FIVE other artists. The pot
!. terv is now produced in 4 moder7
n, plant. with electrical power tror
n nearby mountain streams, ana aouh
N dant natural gas for ovens,
IN Art potters from everywhere nav
s. visited the Benton pottery and agfe
ID that no other part of the World
- far as is known, contains so deslfa
1r be a class of clay for making OF ar,
in notterv as does the Ozarks. NO co
he or seen in other pottery can equual
of for it's colors are Of nature and car
I'd not be eoualed by artificial mean
an Two or more shades are employe'
nd usually blues and browns IN lntefes
H. ino rotation and accidental pattef
a. A new rose strata Of clay mas !u
nd heen struck which is beinP MADE I'M
Nv q new pottery Of rose red. NO wv
,c nicccs are ever exactly alike al
thus the spirit of the exclusive e0
Ise lector is satisfied. r.e.,, A.,
as- 1t was in an art shop on flltn l.,l, y!
ot- nuc that there took place. litIIe - !
ife rident which a certain wise colIecC
nd likes to tell The place, ne Sa!
ot- seemed hung with miles and mlleS ,
soft gray velvet and its Ire artieI :I:l
too well-bred to associate tanlllla
ct, 1v with one another, stood at magi
'T fcar+ distances, each in dignltled a
o artistic solitude. .a.
tractcd to a woman as exclusive q
ovorsite in appearance as inc 9n
itself. admired her q moment IN
NV interest became centered IN WI
sbn hold in her hand-a most beau
full bit of pottery. 1t was as gIu' = :
full as a Greek vase yet IacKeu
Id. rigidity of a ware always so @ aT'
ratelv moulded after a tlXed lae
The designer had expressed ms o
.,r +houghts and feelings and NAG oal
is IA he simple. and he had MT up
to on outline that combined the 'ea'
aen If ancient art with a modern cha
o9s oSe all its own. 1t was eXquisitely pIa