About Clark Crosses

The Mission of Clark Crosses

The Artist:

The following is excerpted from an article featured in the Azle News with the permission of: Bob Buckel, Publisher

Most people who do some kind of art, do it because they simply have no choice – they can’t not create. Julie Clark fits that mold to a T. A stay-at-home mom, wife of a Navy man with two boys, a three-year-old girl and three boxer dogs two of them rescued pound puppies it would be easy for Julie to take her precious few free moments and slip away for a bubble bath, some chocolate or even something stronger. Instead, she creates crosses, beautiful, meaningful crosses that reach out and touch people’s hearts. They’re not just a hobby, or even an art. They’re a ministry.

As for the designs they just keep coming, often while she’s in church. She keeps a notebook with her at all times, and often when her pastor thinks she’s taking notes on the sermon, she’s drawing designs. “They come so fast I just tell everybody it’s not me. It’s as clear as day somebody will say something and it will just pop into my head.” Her first design said “Alleluia” and she took that as a message. “That means ‘Praise God’ and that’s the reason I’m doing this,” she said.

The start of the art

Julie started cutting wood about nine years ago when she decided to make ornaments for the Christmas tree. “Newly married people don’t have ornaments,” she said. She took one to an ornament exchange party and the ladies “went crazy” over it. They wanted to see more, and in two weeks she had made $300 enough to buy a DeWalt 20-inch variable speed scroll saw. “My boys call it a “squirrel saw,” she laughed. When that saw broke down, she bought another one then she went to the website, read the manual and figured out how to fix the first saw herself (“I called DeWalt and told them they should hire me!”) Now she has two saws which work out nicely because two mornings a week she has a student come in to learn the craft from her. “It’s a real blessing because we can both cut at the same time,” Clark said.

Inspiration

The designs in this site are almost inspired by the Holy Spirit.  I give God the credit for these crosses.  They come too easily to me to be solely my inspiration.  I have truly been blessed and thank God everyday for all He has given me.

-Julie Clark