Hilda Fermin
Susan Eastman
Change followed Hilda and her husband, Juan, when they visited a cousin in Verrado, a realtor, who introduced them to PebbleCreek. After many years in Fremont, Calif., a city in the San Francisco Bay area, they were contemplating retirement. On that fateful trip to PebbleCreek, they found the exact house that fit their dreams of an active adult retirement community. Three and a half years have sped by since they made that happy decision to move to PebbleCreek.
Hilda’s early exposure to ceramics came when she took her mother to classes at a senior center in California. As she was still working, she didn’t have time to explore the craft. But options opened with retirement.
Purposely seeking out the talented ceramics instructors, Linda Galowitch and Kelli Frederickson, she began to see the possibilities of ceramic art. The techniques seemed endless. With the helpful instruction of both teachers, she began to follow her own creative curiosity. One project involved a vase with a raised Pueblo motif that she painted with acrylics for a matte finish. Similarly, she painted a Buddha with the same textured matte finish.
On yet another cylindrical vase Hilda used “Elements” glaze overlayed with alligator crystals that produced a surprising bubbling effect, an unexpected result of the chemistry between two glazes. The Elements glaze ‘breaks” into the contours of a ceramic piece. Hilda used them on two different pieces, one of which was a large leaf. The glaze flowed into the leaf veins emphasizing the texture of the piece, and then enhanced the edges with a golden brown. Another successful experiment!
Recently Hilda used silk screen patterns to turn a plain plate surface into a special design. The multi-step process requires careful, fine brush work to produce the finished result.
Hilda’s kind heart and generous spirit led her to yet another activity—volunteer work with the Share Bears. This year, she took over responsibility for the weekly Share Bears Bingo. Aimed at the increasing social opportunities for our older population, bingo provides a fun chance for friends to gather, have coffee, tea, and healthy snacks while enjoying the stimulation of the game. Participation has doubled under Hilda’s guidance! Kudos Hilda!
But her volunteer work doesn’t stop there. As of the new year she also became the Ceramics Club Secretary! She is both scribe and communicator of club activities, no small tasks.
With this full calendar, she and Juan still manage to fit in evenings dancing at salsa clubs downtown, another passion. Clearly, Hilda brings energy and fun to all she does!