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| ABOUT ME |
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| My name is Sangeeta Shah. We immigrated to Canada in December of 2004 and have settled in the City of Waterloo, Ontario. Before moving to Canada, I was living in Muscat, The Sultanate of Oman [a Middle Eastern country next to Dubai, United Arab Emirates]. By profession, I am a Montessori teacher, but over a period of time, developed an inclination and love towards arts and crafts. I do try to learn new crafts and excel in my techniques continuously. In addition to this, I have also done a course in Graphic Designing. I first developed an interest in Cold Porcelain (more popularly known as Ceramic in the Middle Eastern countries) while I was in Dubai/Sharjah. My introduction to this form of art started with my attending a comprehensive 16-week course with a local lady, who was teaching this art free of charge to anyone who bought all the required materials from her shop. Subsequently, I was introduced to another lady named Lindy Roxbrough. I enrolled in various courses with her for an extended period of time. It was here, I would say, under her guidance, that I mastered the art of Cold Porcelain flowers [my real teacher!] and she encouraged me to start teaching. Shortly thereafter, in January of 1998, we moved to Abu Dhabi, the capital city of United Arab Emirates, where I continued my interest in Cold Porcelain and Sugar Craft. It was here that I was invited by The Abu Dhabi Cultural Foundation to demonstrate the art and was asked to conduct classes at The Foundation. In the January 2000 issues of the Gulf News and Itihad (the local newspapers) I was featured in the Crafts' Corner page, for having a stall at a handy crafts' exhibition organized by The WIAD (Women In Abu Dhabi) Association. My stall and flowers were adjudged the best at this exhibition. Due to the large local interest in Ceramic flowers, I was persuaded to use my techniques in various forms. Flowers made from sugar and ceramic are virtually indistinguishable from each other, with an added advantage for ceramic flowers, which are not as fragile as the sugar flowers. I also had a good number of students enrolling in my classes for 3D Paper Tole, Silk Painting, Glass Painting, 3D Embroidery and Napkin Folding. In October of 2000, we moved to Muscat, The Sultanate of Oman. I hope to continue guiding my students who are away from me, through my website. Now that I have settled in my new environment, I am going to start teaching my art to all those who are interested. In the meantime, if you have any queries, please contact me by E-mail and I will definitely try to provide an answer. |