Sitting on a dusty seat from an old dentist’s chair, Lexington master potter Clyde Gobble turns his pots. He’s surrounded by his tools – cockle shells, a handy dandy wooden mallet, cheese cutter, a variety of paring tools, fish scaler and a dead blow hammer. A bucket of water, complete with a tadpole from nearby Abbott’s Creek, sits adjacent to the wheel. Jokes, political posters, cartoons and names with phone numbers are taped on the walls and hang from the ceiling.
Gobble has been commissioned by the Barbecue Festival to create 150 one-of-a-kind mugs to celebrate the event’s 25th anniversary on Saturday, October 25. Each large mug will be signed, numbered and dated and cost $18 each. Gobble be greeting festival goers and giving his autograph at the souvenir booth, located on the square across from the Historic Davidson County Courthouse, from 9-11 a.m.
Gobble has a huge fan base. His pieces are part of permanent collections for Wachovia Bank, R.J. Reynolds Industries and are included in private collections worldwide. He is an exhibiting member of the Piedmont Craftsmen and Carolina Designer Craftsmen guilds.
