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LARRY COUNTS
"I grew up and went to school in Dickenson County, Virginia, and attended Berea College in 1965. At Berea, I worked as a corn sorter in the college broomcraft. I began making brooms during the second semester because the college needed someone to demonstrate broom making for tourists at Mammoth Cave National Park during the summer months. I worked in broomcraft for eight semesters, and at Mammoth Cave each summer, until I graduated from college in 1970.
"After college, I served in the Army for three years and taught algebra for 27 years at Ervinton High School. Over the last ten years I have attended numerous craft shows and festivals to both demonstrate and sell my craft. Good sales have inspired me to create new and improved products, allowing me to hone my skills as I develop new broom styles. I currently make twenty types of house brooms, fireplace brooms and utility brooms, and carve a spirit face in most of the handles of my brooms and walking sticks.
"All of my brooms are made by hand using natural broom corn that is grown locally or purchased in the U.S.A. I use wood handles found in the Virginia mountains. Brooms are tied on sticks using wire, jute or nylon thread. I use a hand tying bench to make the brooms, and a homemade lap vice made with two sticks and rawhide for stitching.
"I live and make brooms in the same mountains of my youth."
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| COPYRIGHT
©2007 APPALACHIAN ARTS CENTER OF SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA COMMUNITY COLLEGE |
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