Hello!

I hope you all had a wonderful summer! I am so happy to share that this month at Damaris we were finally able to begin glazing the ladies' pottery pieces!

A special thanks to Vagia and Elias at Kepamika CoOp for entrusting us to use their large kiln and for kindly guiding and assisting us in the glazing process.  

Damaris has been working hard on finalising its new website, which will launch the online sale of these products soon (watch this space)!

 A Touching Moment...

One of the ladies in our care -- I will call her "Ali"-- absolutely refused to try pottery when we first introduced the new program last spring. Ali insisted it looked way too difficult for her and she preferred to remain on the other side of the room sewing instead. However, little by little we were able to convince her to come and try it. Before I knew it, she was creating beautiful pieces and skipping breaks (apart from lunch)-- despite my insisting that breaks were essential for an artist to keep a fresh eye.

One day recently I teased Ali about this and said, "I went from not being able to get you to try it, to not being able to get you to stop!"

She listened, smiling gingerly in acknowledgment but kept her gaze on her hands and clay. Then I added, "Remember, you were convinced it was too difficult before you tried it, but now look what beautiful pieces you are making!"

Ali continued to smile in silence, with her eyes still gazing down at the clay but then in one pensive moment she looked up at me and said, "It's only because you gave me courage".

Her words went right through my heart -- up and down and all around and I tell you, it gave me, too, the encouragement I needed to keep going.

Working with this population is not always easy. They have been through a lot, some have much to learn and attitudes and demeanours are not always pleasant. However, sometimes they are happy, too, and it is moments like these that I realise the small, kind little things we do to encourage one another make a huge difference in the hearts and confidence of others.

Future Exhibition!

I am very excited to share that I am currently trying to organise my very first sculpture exhibition for the week of December 2nd, 2025 next year. I have chosen this date because December 2nd is the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery; it marks the date of the United Nations' Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others.

Here (below) is a sneak peak of a small, sculpture "sketch" I did just last week to explore a pose I would like to sculpt a 1/2 life-size figure for this future exhibition. The theme would be to promote discussion and awareness on trafficking.

There is so much to learn in terms of applying for grants, logistics, and timelines in order to bring this to fruition, but I've got a fire inside my heart, a vision for it and I decided I am going to give it my all and try!

Thank you for joining me on my journey and for all your support!