Jackson Free Press

In his art work, Sam Clark, a local potter, uses imagination and creativity to tell stories in the work he produces from a small studio in Madison. His pieces, from frogs reading books to whimsical dragons to robot mugs, invoke excitement and wonder in the viewer.

Clark's garage, his makeshift studio, contains clay objects drying on shelves, objects in-process, and pottery wheels he's not using. He spends hours in there, he says, much to the curiosity of his neighbors, since he operates with the garage door open. At night, it produces one of the only light sources on the block.

Several finished pieces line a shelf in the corner of his living room. A tall cup with painted flowers and trees sits on the top shelf. A similarly decorated baking dish, highlighted with bold colors, rests on the bottom shelf. His favorite pieces right now are a collection of coffee cups with robots painted on them. Some robots have whimsical arms. One towers above cities with an evil look on its face. One looks down on people standing on a rooftop.

"You don't know what the people are doing there," Clark says. "Did they go up to the roof in order to see this giant robot? Or were they already on the roof by the time the thing arrived and are afraid to move?"

The pieces epitomize Clark's artistic philosophy: blend creativity and imagination together to solve problems. He characterizes his process as "never losing sight of creating, always having fun, challenging myself, and honing my skills." It's fairly simple: Sketch a rough drawing on paper and copy that picture to a piece of clay, adding or deleting details as he sees fit. If he feels stuck on a drawing, several cups of coffee usually provide some sort of creative spark.

He has drawn since childhood and, for the most part, never changed his goal as an artist: to entertain people.

"My background helps me because the South has a rich storytelling tradition. I picture my granddad in a small town, sitting around telling stories and embellishing facts when need be," he says.

"So much can be captured in a gesture or a facial expression. I love watching people and trying to capture that."

Clark sees his art as personal. He enjoys talking to customers and forming relationships with them, but he also wants to make something that creates memories, something that can be become part of his customers' homes.

"I like to make things people can use," he says. You could go to Walmart and buy a soulless piece of plastic for a lot less, but an artist puts so much time and energy into every piece. The customer inherits the labor," he says. "The world doesn't need more coffee cups."

The artist says he likes to think he helps produce a connection between two people. The meaning behind each piece is ambiguous, and therein lies the beauty. Although Clark wants to stay local, primarily for the close connections he can form with customers and the direct impact he sees at a local level compared to a national one, he admires other artists who sell their work nationally.

Considering that Clark's hometown is Louisville, Miss., a piece honoring the town's history or symbolizing citizen bravery in light of the recent storms seems a possibility. But Clark is not interested in changing his artistic style for any type of larger social critique. "I don't see my art identified as social commentary, even though there is a place for that kind of art within society," he says.

Find Sam Clark's work on his Facebook page. Email him at [email protected].