Page 71 - Senior Link Magazine Winter 2022 - Online Magazine

MUSIC & ART

Our Happy Place

When stepping into the Helen
Devitt Jones Clay Studio (519
Avenue J), you are greeted with a
smile and plenty of room to make
art. Art and personality exude from
every corner of the studio and,
during the Open Studio hours,
you can discover the different
personalities who make up the
“Clay Family.”

Ellen, the “Resident Rodent Maker,”
is proud of the group and gushes on The light-hearted story is a great example of the kind of
about how they celebrate each other. She is a retired art
teacher who will make sure you understand the process camaraderie that exists among this “family” of artists.
that the clay goes through and how it changes during Lubbock is full of amazing opportunities to collaborate
firing. She will also remind you that anything you find with people from all walks of life. One of the most fun
can be used to add texture to the clay. and creative atmospheres for connecting with others is
in a clay studio in downtown Lubbock. LHUCA’s Helen
“We call it our Happy Place,” says Ellen as she sits at the Devitt Jones Clay Studio is an amazing treasure, and
hand-building table, describing the group of people who
meet there several times a week. “We have so much fun; the Llano Estacado Clay Guild is a uniquely wonderful
community within Lubbock.
we celebrate birthdays and grandchildren, exhibits and
shows.” She knows every person who walks through
the door. While she specializes in creating various
interpretations of Lubbock’s unofficial mascot, a prairie
dog, she is also the gatekeeper of the Clay Guild. When
she talks about the guild, she absolutely lights up. She FIRST
enthusiastically describes the club’s involvement in the
First Friday Art Trail and their fundraising efforts for FRIDAY
various organizations in the community like donations
of extra supplies to the East Lubbock Art House and ART
the Guadalupe Center. Her passion and enthusiasm are
contagious enough to make almost anyone want to create TRAIL
their own masterpiece out of clay.

“Yes, I Know Tom Hicks.”

Tom is a retired accountant and the current president
of the Llano Estacado Clay Guild. He’s very humble,
and it was Eileen who told me about his status with the
Clay Guild. Tom is well-known and respected within the
ceramic artist world, and Ellen loves to tell the story of
just how well-known he is.
At one particular show, members of the group were
asked the same question multiple times. As soon as they JOIN US MONTHLY
said they were part of the Llano Estacado Clay Guild, FOOD, ART, MUSIC AND MORE!
people began to ask if they knew Tom Hicks. It happened
so often, it became comical. So, the group was prepared
for the next show. Unbeknownst to Tom, they all showed
up wearing shirts that said, “Yes, I know Tom Hicks.”
511 AVE. K | LUBBOCK | 806.762.8606 | LHUCA.ORG

Lubbock Senior Link 71