Greenbrook resident molds a new hobby out of clay

"To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk," Thomas Edison.

With more than 30 hours invested in his clay project, Greenbrook's Drew Stuart was proud to display "People at a Wedding," during a show at ArtCenter Manatee.

The display three years ago consisted of seven painted ceramic bisque figurines, each sculpted with in a mild form of caricature.

He put a price tag of $700 on his work, then sat back and waited.

"Everybody would stop, look and smile," said Stuart, who is 70. "Then one person said, 'You know, they really are just dust collectors.' Nobody bought anything."

It was just another lesson in the world of arts and crafts.

It only takes one trip to Stuart's garage, and workshop, to understand he isn't in the business to make money. Many of his best pieces sit on shelves or hang from hooks, or are stored away for the time being in tubs. Crates are filled with possible craft items and labeled such as "pipe fittings," "rags," "shells" and "animal heads."

"You do get an enormous amount of stuff." he said, flashing an ever-present smile. "And I'm not going to make a living from it."

Even so, he does continue to market some of his work, more for the fun of sharing his love than making a profit.

On Nov. 18, Stuart will be one of 20 artists showing and selling their work at the annual Lakewood Ranch Creative Arts Association Fall Show and Sale.  The show will feature jewelry, sculpture, wood turning projects, ceramics, fiber art, metal design, stained glass and paintings.

All the artwork must be original and no resale items are allowed. Most of the artists are like Stuart.

"Most do it because they enjoy it," he said.

Mary Litle, the publicity director for the Lakewood Ranch Creative Arts Association, said Stuart, indeed, fits that mold.

"He is very creative and you can tell he has a great time doing it," she said. "He also is so easy to work with and so willing to help."

Stuart is a retired teacher who worked 36 years for South Brunswick Public Schools before moving to Lakewood Ranch in 2004 and then working seven years as a fifth grade reading and science teacher at Saint Stephen's Episcopal School in Bradenton.

He began woodworking in 1976 because "it was a traditional craft." During his many years as a teacher, he would think up all kinds of craft projects for his students, including puppetry.

Three years ago, he veered into clay. It was attractive to him because, as he says, "Clay is an additive process while woodworking is a subtractive process."

While he is doing mostly clay works these days, he likes to mix the forms. While he spoke, he used a wood gouge to put scales on a clay fish he had fired.

"Everything is a challenge," he said. "You look at a project and think, 'How can I make this best?' And I learn every time I make something. Making puppets, I learned to sew."

He also learned he could dabble in some projects that will be fast sellers at craft shows. His wife of 47 years, Maryann, told him, "Fish and birds sell."

He started working on projects that featured high-fired clay fish and birds stacked on a piece of Rebar that people could plug into their landscaping. "People buy my fish and birds," he said.

All the work, which really isn't work, keeps him busy.

"I'm not good with just sitting around," he said. "I'll even take carvings to the beach with me. And my father (Douglas Stuart) is 101, so I have the potential for longevity. It's not about killing the days, but enjoying the days. Working with my hands is one of the best things I can do."

His desire to keep busy was on display in August. He was only a few minutes into a radiofrequency ablation,  a medical process that destroys a small area of heart tissue that is causing an irregular heartbeat, when he became bored.

He did what was only natural for him, even though he was lying on a doctor's table and couldn't move.

"I had to do something, so I made a puppet in my head," he said. "Then I went home and worked on it."