The picture above of my table at the Newton Woman's Club craft fair on the 10th of November, 2018.  I enjoyed the show.  I received many positive comments and encouragement and appreciation of my work.  

​

The pot on exhibit, the first of my collection:  Birds and Flowers was bought by this engaging and kind lady.  I asked her permission to show her picture on my blog.

JDCARTSTUDIO/GIFTS WILL BE EXHIBITING AT CRAFT FAIR TO BE HELD IN NEWTON:
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2018 AT 10AM - 4PM
NEWTON CIYTY HALL 

ON EXHIBITION WILL BE ORIGINAL ART AND CRAFT CREATED BY JURIED ARTISANS FROM THE NEW ENGLAND AREA.  ON EXHIBIT WILL BE FEATURED  SOME OF THE FOLLOWING ITEMS, DESIGNED AND EXECUTED BY ARTIST,  JOAN CAMERON.  

​

This is a pot that I picked up from the Pottery School where I bisque and glaze my pottery. It is 32.5 inches at its widest girth and 12.5 inches at its rim. It is hand built by pinching and then using coils closer to the rim. When it was leather hard, I then burnished it to a glossy finish. Then I let it dry for several weeks before taking it for bisquing. It is now ready for glazing and I am planning to decorate using underglazes and the surface of the pot as my canvas. The results should be very exciting and surprising. I will keep you abreast of my progress and show you the results.

​

I told you, my audience, that I would update you about the progress in decorating the pot that was described in my last post. I decided to use its surface aś a canvas and below is the result. I painted it with glazes as an undercoat and will then complete the process with a clear glaze inside and over the whole pot. It is currently waiting to be fired. I am looking foreward to seeing the result, as it is always a surprise to see the effect of the application of heating at temperatures of up to 1600 degrees Fahrenheit on the chemicals in the different glazes. There are so many variables that one cannot really predict what the end result will be, which adds to the excitement and anticipation.

​

JDCARTSTUDIO/GIFTS was for the first time a part of Needham Open Studio on May 5-6, 2018.  It was a meaningful learning experience for this artist.  I enjoyed the opportunity not only to meet the public but allowing them to see my work space and even doing a few demonstrations of my Polymer Clay process.  Below are some of my work that were on exhibition. 

​

THEN THERE WAS CLAY--Polymer Clay:

​
​

I have always been fascinated with pottery, ceramics and anything made of clay.  Whenever I would go to museums, that was the first place in the museum I would gravitate to, as if by magnate.  I admired all kinds of pottery, modern and ancient.  I was fascinated by the craftsmanship, the skill, and creative thinking required to make from some piece soil or call it what it is "dirt", such magnificent  objects, whether they were created for utilization or aesthetic purposes.  

I also liked to window shop and admire the pottery, especially when visiting a small town and touring the local artist shops.  I admired anything handcrafted from clay.  So then, it will come as no surprise then, to tell you that I wanted to work with clay.  What is truly amazing, though, is that when I finally had the opportunity to actually do something about satisfying this desire, I discovered the most amazing kind of clay--Polymer Clay.  When I say: "I discovered it", of course, I do not mean to imply that I was the first person to apply clay in this way.  By sheer coincidence I went to the library and looked at a video and saw an artist making beautiful objects with this nondescript piece of gooey stuff.  I watched several videos, mesmerized by the process, bought a book, bought some tools, the Fimo and I was on my way to practice my new art form.

Hand crafting with Polymer clay as with anything worthwhile doing, takes time, but then, we know there is no substitute for time.   The journey, however, is pleasant, relaxing and the result surprising every time and delightful.  I hope you agree with me when you observe the beautiful jewelry I have crafted and the other objects I have made from Polymer Clay on my website JDCARTSTUDIOGIFTS.com, and you may want to add some of them to your collection or give them as gifts to your loved ones.  

I will be writing much more in detail about the products and the process in future posts.