Sgraffito artist Marilyn Stoltzfus White was honored by being featured on the cover of COUNTRY WOMAN magazine.

The springtime edition article by Betty Ann Heidecker of Coopersburg, Pennsylvania was entitled "Marilyn's Plates are Heaped with Springtime ... Year Round!," referring to the many Pennsylvania Dutch flowers that Marilyn uses to decorate her plates. And indeed they are.

The tulip for example, stands for love. Marilyn incorporates this in most of her wedding and anniversary plates. She also includes the famous Distelfink, for which her Clay Distelfink Shop is named, on many wedding plates. This is the "German bird of happiness that wishes the newlyweds a long lasting marriage," says Marilyn.

Other symbolic figures include the seed-filled pomegranate, which intends to help bring the farmers a good harvest, and a pelican's nest on baby's plates, since that bird is well-known for its maternal instincts.

While many of the designs on the front of these plates are universally symbolic, they are all hand designed and personalized for the individual. The back of each plate is created especially for each customer and reflects the history of the couple being married, the family a new baby is born into, or any other special occasion. Marilyn even creates a "Tree of Life" plate that measures 22 by 13 inches and, depending upon the number of generations in the family for which it is being made, can take up to eight hours to decorate.

Republished by permission of the Intercourse News.