Anne Burkhalter

Hello, my name is Anne Burkhalter and I am a member of the Sipsey Arts Alliance. A bit about myself: I am married to the best man I know, Paul Burkhalter. We have been together for almost 40 years now. Wow! Hard to believe. We have one son, Matthew, who is married and lives with his sweet wife Whitney in Athens, Georgia. He is currently working on a PhD. in history. We don’t see them enough. Even though he just turned 31, the kid is still my HEARTBEAT.

Paul and I grew up in Tuscaloosa, ROLL TIDE!!!, both graduating from The University of Alabama. We spent our entire lives there until this past year. After retiring from teaching first and second grade at Brookwood elementary in Tuscaloosa County, I decided to go back to work part-time at AMSTI. (Alabama Math Science and Technology Initiative) During that time, Paul took a new job in Vernon, Alabama and had a very long commute. So, to ease his drive, we embarked on another great adventure, building the third house! After two years of planning and building, we are very happy in Berry Circle with great neighbors around us.

Upon coming to Fayette, I was lucky enough to meet Ron Morris at a local art show in the town park. He is the owner of Ron’s Pottery with his beautiful wife, Anita. While talking to him he shared he was going to give pottery lessons as soon as his shop was complete. I signed up in October of 2018 and have found my new passion. Ron is such a great teacher and so supportive, failure is simply not an option. I have been taking classes for almost a year and have since bought my own potter’s wheel. I have plans to purchase a kiln very soon as well. Turning clay into usable items gives me the greatest pleasure. I hope to continue to grow and learn as a potter from Ron making my pieces better each time.

Joining the Arts Alliance has opened new doors for my pottery obsession. I plan to participate in town art shows in the fall and at Christmas. As my technique improves, I would love to venture into other venues as well. We will see how it goes.