When Emma Alvey completes a ceramic piece at the Columbia County Senior Center, she rarely keeps the artwork for herself.
"You give it as a gift," the Martinez resident said. "People appreciate it more than getting a store-bought gift.
"I try to give everyone in my family something."
Alvey is one of 12 senior citizens enrolled in the ceramics class being offered each Tuesday and Thursday at the center. The classes have provided seniors with an artistic outlet since 1997, when the center opened on Euchee Creek Drive.
As Alvey worked on her new piece, a floral pitcher, she said she also has painted many Georgia Bulldog-themed piggy banks for her son and husband. She also likes to draw her own designs for her ceramic artwork.
Throughout the years, several of the center's visitors have even entered pieces in local competition, said the center's manager, Jeff Asmann.
Ceramics, he said, is an activity anyone can participate in regardless of skill level or physical disabilities.
"It's a way for them to have a hobby that's practical and an expression of who they are," Asmann said.
With acrylic paints and glazes, the seniors design and decorate the ceramic greenware, which is poured by Linda Ansley, the course instructor. Ansley, who has worked with ceramics for nearly 30 years, has taught the class at the center for about three years.
She said her role in the class is mostly to help and guide the seniors when they need it.
"They're so appreciative," she said. "We have a good time in here. It helps them do things that they normally couldn't do, and they're surprised when I show them how to do stuff."
Once the ceramic greenware is cleaned and fired into a bisque state in the kiln, the piece is ready to be customized. A second firing in the kiln is required for glazes and certain decorative touches.
Though the courses are held throughout the year, attendance usually picks up in the fall, Ansley said. At one point, nearly 20 people were participating in the class, she added.
Imogene Reed has attended the ceramics class for six months. Most of her pieces, including a Christmas tree, frog, angels and a fairy, are either displayed at her daughter's house, where she lives, or given away as gifts.
Reed, who has had limited mobility in her arms following spinal surgery, said the class has improved her flexibility.
"It's therapeutic for me," the Grovetown resident said. "I just love to work with colors and keep busy."
Theda Davis, another Grovetown resident, currently is working on a parrot and has painted many angels and animals in the last five years.
She said she enjoys the challenge that comes with painting ceramics.
"You don't know how its going to turn out, but then when it does turn out, you always get so happy," she said.
Class members also take field trips. They recently attended a ceramics show in Atlanta.
Ansley said she enjoys working with the seniors and seeing them react to the end result.
"They're really tickled when they take home stuff, especially the little gifts they make for the family members," Ansley said. "They enjoy that."
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