Famed area craftsmen to display work at Art Extravaganza

Linden craftsman Doug Butts, winner of the History Channel’s “Forged in Fire,” will be among the artists and craftsmen displaying their work at the Art Extravaganza Saturday.

He will be joined by Andrew McCall of Lowndes County, known nation-wide for his basketry using kudzu and wisteria vines.

Sponsored by the Two Rivers Arts Council, the display of talent will be from 1-4 p.m. on the grounds of Lyon Hall. Admission is free.

Also showing their work will be Alyssa Wrensted Stewart, art; Carolyn Cowling, pottery; Timothy Joe, watercolors and oil; Joe Turner, photography; Jen Tate, art; Ed Rush, woodworking and music, and Michael Clements, photography.

Students of Kirk Brooker will have their art displayed, and seven tablescapes will be judged on creativity, use of color and interpretation of theme.

The Demopolis High School choir will perform at 1:30 p.m., and the cast of “Freaky Friday,” the DHS musical, will showcase some of the music from the production at 2 p.m.

Butts started his career in 1993 in New Mexico’s movie industry as a construction laborer and was promoted to prop-maker, welder and construction foreman and later returned to the movie industry as a special effects pyro-technician. 

In 2010, he moved to Linden and started his construction remodeling company, Doug’s Remodels and More. Butts continued using his pyro technician skills and performed 20 fireworks displays including Linden’s Chili Fest, Demopolis’ Freedom on the River and Christmas on the River from 2010 to 2018. 

His father was a farrier and introduced Butts to metalwork when he was young. He took a blacksmithing course from the head blacksmith at Sandia Laboratories in Los Alamos, N.M., and fell in love with making knives. After watching “Forged in Fire”, he applied and was selected as a contestant for Season 6, Episode 23-Cane Sword.

Known as the “Vine Man,” McCall has been creating baskets, birdhouses, tiny churches, chairs, tables and more from his home a few miles south of Montgomery for 40 years.

He served in the military and then worked construction for a while. One day, McCall watched as a friend made grape vine wreaths and asked if he could try is. His path was set.

McCall began taking his baskets to shops and shows around Alabama and selling the crafts faster than he could make them.