BLUE RIBBON PAST-TIME

Kim Cunningham applied green dry brushing on a ceramic rabbit she casted.

Janet Luttrell cleaned greenware ceramic pieces to get them ready for glazing.

Their hands are a little shakier than they used to be, which only means students taking the ceramics class at Red Star Baptist Church have to work a little slower to make their award-winning projects.

The group has been meeting since the church's Activity and Recreation Building was completed in 1973. The building's original design included space for ceramic work, and the church providing the kilns for firing items.

In the resulting quarter-century, the eyesight of many members may have faded, but the same can't be said about their enthusiasm.

"I've been coming since the class started," said Katie Crawford, who was on the committee that helped plan the building design. "I had a knack."

Since 1983 classes have been led by instructor Virginia Hinman. Her job includes ordering and pouring molds and supplies so that class members have something to work with. She also helps members prepare their projects for an annual contest held in St. Louis County.

"We've been competing since about 1985," she said. "We always win one to three trophies every year; this year we won four first-place trophies and 61 first- and second-place ribbons."

The class meets Thursdays from 7-10 p.m. After selecting a clay mold, members wipe and clean their projects using water, brushes and other tools before placing them in a kiln to be fired for six hours. After being fired, the mold -- now called a bisque -- is ready to be painted or glazed, then refired. After the second firing, it's ready for competition -- unless of course it needs to be accented by gold, decals or other special accents.

"It's a long process, but it's not work," said Hinman. "We're hobbyists."

Freda Whiteside agreed. "I can be so uptight and come down here and start doing this and it's all OK," she said. "It's very relaxing; a good hobby."

Kim Cunningham, one of the youngest class members, enjoys exploring her "wild side." Her specialty is dry-brushing, a time-consuming painting technique that requires many paint layers made with tiny brush strokes to get the desired result.

"If they could settle me down and keep me away from the wild stuff I might be able to do regular ceramics," she said. "I just like dry-brushing better."

Cunningham became interested in ceramics when she attended the class with her grandmother in the late '70s. Although her grandmother died, she and her mother continue to attend the class because it's relaxing and provides nice gifts to give away.

"I just started doing it because she did it, but she was the best," Cunningham said. "I enjoy it. It's an out, too, because I've got four kids."

Hinman said people interested in ceramics don't have to be church members to join. The class is free to anyone of any skill level, she said, and members may buy their own supplies or purchase them at cost.

"I started coming down here because I was retired and needed something else to do," she said. "You don't have to have skill for this. I have been crocheting and knitting for years, but when I got started at this, I just took to it like a duck takes to water."