Rebuild Brushy Fork Creek Gallery

Paul and Tricia Ferrell have used their kind, giving spirits and amazing artistic talents to enrich the lives of many thousands of people over the years and now they need our help.

Brushy Fork Creek burned to the ground on May 1. Not only was this Paul and Tricia's pride and joy that they built from scratch over four decades, but it was also their sole source of income. The fire took everything: their tools, their inventory, and the workplace where they practiced their trades.


Here is what Tricia has to say about what the gallery, studio, and spa meant to them in her own words:

"Paul and I are self taught artists who live in the woods of western Kentucky and make pottery and wood turning. We opened our business, Brushy Fork Creek in 1984.  Our vision was to share our peaceful existence and way of life others. We do this by selling our work to visitors and teaching the craft to students.



We remodeled the gallery last fall and thought we had everything just right. Our business was thriving and everyone who visited had such a nice experience. Then before dawn on May 1 our dog woke us up and we found our studio on fire. It quickly spread to the gallery and spa. The water hose wouldn't work because the pump for it was in the studio so we called the fire department and watched 40 years of work go up in flames. It went fast and smoldered for days as Paul's precious wood treasures turned to charcoal.



Due to the fact that our gallery was a labor of love and hand-built over three decades, no one was willing to give us insurance so we were on our own. Then the unthinkable happened. We are not throwing in the towel! Not ready to let it be over! We are asking for financial help so we can rebuild. Not only did we lose our buildings but also all our inventory, materials to make new work, tools to do it, glaze and clay formulas books, etc. It is a long list of things to replace so we have decided to approach this project in phases.

First phase is to rebuild of the pottery and Woodturning studio. And in that space we will have a temporary gallery so people can come and shop. Phase 2 will be construction of our greenhouse/gallery. And Phase 3 will be rebuilding the Garden of Life Spa where I do massages and healing work."


Volunteers have helped clear the remains of the fire, leaving just a concrete slab to begin the rebuilding process.



Help us offer Paul and Tricia a hand up while they need it most, as they did not have insurance. Any size donation will help and all funds raised will put them one step closer to getting a working studio and temporary gallery rebuilt.