TRURO - Under the sun and trees, local artists used the serenity of Victoria Park for inspiration on Saturday.
For Danielle Sawada of Belmont, it was the first time she participated in the Truro Art Society's Paint the Park event.
"I've never done Paint the Park before, but I thought it would be a beautiful day to work outside," said Sawada, a potter for the past eight years.
"I often do demonstrations, such as at the Truro Farmers' Market. People might not necessarily know me or what a person can do with a potter's wheel. It's pretty magical."
Starting at 9 a.m., a handful of artists set up their spaces within the park - Sawada in the picnic/barbecue pavilion and painters along the river or beside the woods. By mid-afternoon, Sawada had talked to about 20 passersby and created a number of bowls, small and large, and some fish.
"You have to have patience," she said. "It takes about a month to make something - from a ball of clay to the finished product. There's a lot of opportunity to break things."
With a background in theatre, it wasn't until Sawada's grandmother passed away that she really got into pottery. Her father gave her money from the estate, and told her to buy a potter's wheel.
"He said my grandmother would want me to do something I always wanted to do," she said.
For the past six years, Sawada has operated Thrown Together Pottery on King Street.
"I like making fish, turtles, mermaids and lizards. The fish are popular, and so are mugs. People love mugs."
Getting into pottery wasn't a surprise for Sawada, although she is self-taught.
"I had a friend in high school who was a potter and I worked in exchange for pottery, but he didn't do any teaching," she said, adding she loves everything about pottery. "Teaching, doing and buying."
While working in the park, Sawada gave many demonstrations and allowed visitors to get a feel for the clay.
"I let them touch it as I'm making it because I want them to enjoy being a part of making something," she said.
Looking toward the park from inside the pavilion, Sawada said the event in the park, which was to celebrate Parks Day, was great.
"It's nice to see people out and any way we can celebrate Victoria Park is great. I think Victoria Park is one of the best inner city parks in the world," she said.
