– Every Farmer has a Story with Wesley Evans –
‘Still playing in the dirt’
Retired row-crop farmer Wesley Evans shares his natural talent as a potter
Story and photos by Page Haynes
– Every Farmer has a Story with Wesley Evans –
‘Still playing in the dirt’
Retired row-crop farmer Wesley Evans shares his natural talent as a potter
Story and photos by Page Haynes
If you drive along Fulton Road in Brownville, you’ll see a stately white antebellum house with a side shed made of primitive logs. In 1856, the shed was the outside kitchen of the home and later, converted to a farm shop. Inside are wrenches, hammers, screws, grease, worktables, and often, you’ll find Wesley Evans, throwing clay and crafting beautiful pottery.
Wesley is a self-taught potter. He learned by watching YouTube and picking up tips from his artistic cousin, Madeline Timbs. A retired row-cropper, Wesley, along with brother Clinton, has been producing about 1,200 acres of wheat, corn, soybeans, and cotton for the past half century on the family’s historic 2,000-acre farm. Their great-, great-, great-grandfather built the mansion during the Civil War. You could say the creative acorn didn’t fall far from the tree.
“I have always been good with my hands,” says Wesley, who is a natural at doing intricate work like needlepointing, caning chairs, and crafting furniture. “Madeline has been making pottery for 25 years, and in 2018, she let me visit for three mornings and throw a little clay. She said I had potential and the only way to learn is to buy a wheel and start throwing clay. So, I bought one, and YouTube and I got busy.”
It took a few cracks and breaks to get the handmade skill down, he says, but now, every clod he throws, spins, shapes, fires, and glazes turns out just right. He enjoys making functional ceramic pieces like casserole dishes, mugs, bowls, vases, butter keepers, espresso cups, and handled soup bowls. His work features unique colors and qualities, and it’s very thin and lightweight.
“I just learned by trial and error,” he says. “I’ve had potters who have been doing it for 25-plus years ask me how I get my coffee mugs so thin and light. And I just say I throw a lot of clay. And they say, ‘well, we can’t do that, ours don’t turn out that way.’”
As he throws a clod on the wheel and starts forming it with his hands, he constantly adds water throughout the process to gently lift and shape the mud-like substance into a cylinder.
“I can feel my fingers on either side of the clay,” he says. “And I’ve been farming since I was eight,” he points out, “so, I’m still just playing in the dirt.”
“Even though I’m retired from farming, I’m still playing in the dirt.” — Wesley Evans
It takes about three weeks to craft a piece from wheel to finished product. Although his clay pottery is quickly becoming known among professionals, he’s still modest, says Cheryl, his wife of 47 years.
A dedicated patron of Mid-South Farmers Cooperative in Brownsville, Wesley has been working as a potter for six years since undergoing two knee replacements as well as other surgeries and retiring from row-cropping. At one time, Cheryl says, he was watching his crops deteriorate and couldn’t do anything about it.
“His theory is, he has always played with dirt — planting a seed and watching it become something consumable,” she says. “Well, his pottery starts as mud and become something beautiful that you can cook in and enjoy. I believe that since he couldn’t get his crops out at that time, God showed him that this gift was hidden deep inside him. It was time for it to come to fruition so that once he retired, he would already be well established with his pottery business that gives him great joy, going around to craft fairs and sharing his gift with others.”
Wesley and Cheryl enjoy taking his pottery to various festivals and craft fairs and meeting the many people who put it to good use. Each piece has its own personality and is signed by him.
“It’s just mud,” says Wesley when describing the texture and makeup of his pottery. “Well, it’s really manmade mud, made of four or five different ingredients so it can be microwave safe, dishwasher safe, food safe, and oven safe. You can use it to cook and serve your food. While a lot of pottery out there is only decorative, this is all functional.”
Wesley offers his pottery at weekend festivals all over the Mid-South and says his favorite part is meeting folks and sharing the story behind his work.
“Now’s the busiest season,” he says. “It’s harvest time for me.”
For more information about Wes Evans’ pottery or to see his craft fair/festival schedule, visit his Facebook page PotterybyWes.
Wesley maintains 250 acres on his farm for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). The voluntary federal program helps landowners establish plant species to protect environmentally sensitive land. He keeps it mowed and is helped by his 14-year-old grandson Whitt Stoots.
By Page Haynes,
Contact phaynes@ourcoop.com