We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Judy DeSimone. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Judy below.

Alright, Judy thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea

I received an art education degree December 1979. Besides teaching in the public and Catholic schools for 39 years I always wanted to “get my art work out there”. I had no idea how to go about that process and I had not found my voice artistically. Art educators are proficient in all artistic mediums with a particular strength. Mine was as a three-dimensional artist. During my teaching years in the public schools, I invented projects for the students that would push the limits of my abilities as an educator and their abilities as young artists. Early in my professional career the hopes of selling my art were placed on hold due to a divorce placing me in the role of single parenthood. My young child’s needs came first. I did continue at a greatly reduced capacity creating realistic bas-relief wall pieces of flora, fauna and people using low fire white clay and underglazes. Years later in the period between retiring from public school and my foray teaching art in the Catholic schools I radically changed course in my creative ideas and transformed into the ceramics I currently make.

 Teaching part time in the Catholic schools and an empty nester was my time to try to sell my art. I asked question after question to learn the logistics of what was needed to sell my work at craft shows. I took seminars explaining the business side of selling art, how to photograph my work, fill out entrance show applications, purchase display furniture, arrange a tent display and purchase business cards. I applied to local art shows, participated in first Friday gallery walks eventually trying craft shows. Like any product it’s important to find the audience that is best suited for my work and develop a thick skin when it’s not. 

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I received an art education degree December 1979 from Moore College of Art and Design, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and have a masters equivalency plus thirty-three graduate credits in fine arts and education classes. A masters equivalency is a certificate from the Pennsylvania Board of Education for teachers/persons that have completed 36 graduate level hours of graduate level credit. I have a daughter, husband, grand-daughter, and a 104-year-old mother that lives with me. I hike daily with my two spaniels, sometimes three spaniels, my grand-dog and spend as much time as I can at the Jersey Shore in the summer. My art is one-of-a-kind hand-built, mid-fire stoneware vessels and wall pieces painted with underglazes and gloss glaze fired to cone 5 in an electric kiln. I emphasize whimsy and color. Most of my vessels hold water and are sized to sit on a table or bureau. I strive to push my imagination to its limits during each creation. Color and add-ons help shape the personality of my work. Perhaps my vessels resemble each other in spirit but not shape. I want the uniqueness of the individual piece to reflect the fact that every moment in life is different.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

In normal circles my artwork is considered offbeat, it’s not for everyone. My creations are outside of the box in the mainstream of craft fair ceramics. Selling at craft shows is always a gamble. Some years and locations my work moves more successfully than others. For me art galleries are extremely difficult to break into. I entered a wholesale show in hopes of reaching a broader audience and more diverse circles. Rejections have taught me to pick myself up and keep pushing and creating. I believe in my art and will pursue locating my target audience. 

I attend ceramic classes at local art centers to learn from and be around fellow artists. I feel other peoples’ knowledge help us grow and get out of our own heads. My artistic philosophy is “why not”. 

I try not to take myself too seriously. If I have old work that’s not moving, I may purge those pieces trying to decipher what were not successful elements in those pieces. Older vessels I believe in, I wait for the right owner to claim it. Someone usually comes along. I am fortunate to have a teacher’s pension. That lifts a certain pressure to “churn out” work.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Mid-way through undergraduate work, I switched my art education major to jewelry and metalsmithing. My parents were furious. I simply figured I’d work in a jewelry store or look at the Want Ads in the city paper for an artist job. Junior year I transferred colleges from the East Coast of the U.S. to the West Coast of the U.S. On the West Coast I was transfixed with craft as art, a movement that hadn’t taken root on the East. I pursued the many nuances of this art form, not thinking of a long-term plan to support myself. After four years on the West coast I realized I missed my family and that I am an Easterner. Upon returning I completed my art education degree at my initial college Moore College of Art and Design. This was a wise decision in so many ways. My art education career exposed me to many types of medium, projects, art history, field trips, experiences, colleagues, imaginations and thousands of students and their families. I even learned the craft of set designing since it was a yearly responsibility at my Catholic school. Set designing was a secret passion of mine. At times teaching forced me to attempt things I never would have tried for fear of failure. It gave me courage to continue to believe, “why not” Teaching stressed the importance of discipline, management, organization, sophistication and drive. It reminded me on a daily basis that I am not the be all and end all, I can always learn from others. The lessons, experiences and successes from my teaching career helped lay the foundation for the courage to begin the journey to sell my art so many years later. With grit and determination, it’s never too late to try a new endeavor.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.judydesimoneceramics.com
• Instagram: Judy DeSimone Ceramics