Clay is probably not included on any list of prescribed medications for autoimmune disorders.

But Bermudian artist Doris Wade credits plain old modelling clay with several years of remission from the autoimmune disease lupus.

Lupus causes the immune system to attack the body's own tissue and organs, including the joints, kidneys, heart, lungs, brain, blood, or skin. Stress and certain foods can aggravate lupus.

For six years, Mrs. Wade has run a pottery studio called X-Clue-Sive Creations.

On Friday, her first art exhibition 'The Colors of Nature' opens at the Bermuda Society of Arts (BSOA) gallery in City Hall.

She hopes to donate part of the proceeds to the Lupus Association of Bermuda.

"When I was first diagnosed it was quite confusing," said Mrs. Wade. "It took me quite by surprise. I was working for Island Pottery back then.

"My first four years were quite stressful and very hard. I had lots of flare-ups. I was trying to come to the reality that I do have lupus and trying to get control of it."

She has been diagnosed with lupus for 15 years, but she has been in remission for six years now.

"I think that is because of my passion for pottery," she said. "When you find something that you love it relieves a lot of stress."

Mrs. Wade was supposed to be on steroids for the rest of her life, but hasn't take them in a year and feels great.

She opened X-Clue-Sive Creations six years ago. They were first located on Reid Street.

Despite the name, there is nothing exclusive about the studio. People of all ages from babies to senior citizens come into the studio to have a fun hour or two painting pottery.

The studio hosts parties for kids and adults, and also offers various classes including mommy and me time, and silk screening and pottery.

The pottery studio has now moved to the old Berkeley school at 23 Berkeley Road.

She said there has been benefits and disadvantages to the move.

"Being in town had its ups," said Mrs. Wade. "We had workers who would come in and do pottery on their lunch break. They would say they need to de-stress.

"Obviously, it's hard for a lot of people now to walk to us during their lunch hour."

Mrs. Wade said the advantage to the new location was the better rent. There is also better parking now than there was in town.

She started out as an artist, painting portraits, but when she got a job at Island Pottery, 18 years ago, she was instantly hooked. She was head decorator there, sometimes churning out 100 painted lighthouses or pink cottages a day.

When they closed down she took up jobs working as a chef. But cooking was not her passion, so she kept up her art on the side, selling her creations at Harbour Nights, and other similar events.

"Working at Island Pottery was a joy, but they closed," said Mrs. Wade. "That was where I said, 'boy, what am I going to do?' There was nowhere else that I knew of that I could pursue ceramics and keep with it.

"Then one day I said 'you know what, I am going to purchase my own kiln'. I also purchased my own house. I turned part of the house into an art studio."

She became a Mayco Colors ambassador.

"They are a manufacturer and distributor of ceramic products," she said. "Being an ambassador for them means they can call on me to train people anywhere in the world."

While visiting Mayco overseas, the company introduced her to the concept of a community pottery studio.

"They showed me one that was operating in a shopping mall," said Mrs. Wade. "I thought Bermuda could really use something like that because it was a family activity where everyone could come in and enjoy a great time together. It took me three years to say I will do it."

One thing X-Clue-Sive Pottery does not have is a pottery wheel.

"I am a ceramic artist," she said. "I hand-build. We make things from masks to mugs.

"There was a time when the potter at Island Pottery said 'Doris put that brush down and come and try the wheel. It went up, it went down. On the third time around I said, 'can I have my brush back?' It wasn't for me."

Since opening X-Clue-Sive Creations she has won two Bermuda Gold awards for Best Family Activity.

"We do birthday parties every weekend," she said. "We also do team building. It can hold up to 25 people.

"We can also bring the pottery to your venue. You can have one of our staff members for half an hour."

She said a lot of adults are nervous when they first come into the studio. "I tell them, it is not about straight lines and perfect circles.

"I try to give everyone that inspiration and feeling that is not about perfect art. "Once they come in the door they have a blast. They say we'll be back. Often the kid is left waiting for the parent. The parent gets caught up in it. It is therapy.

"There is no age limit, but there is pottery on the shelves. If you knock it, it will break."

In terms of her illness, she said she has really been helped by the Lupus Association of Bermuda.

"They are a great support system," she said. "They offer a place for people in Bermuda with lupus to get together and share our thoughts on different things related to lupus."

For more information about X-Clue-Sive Creations, telephone 296-1676 or E-mail Mrs. Wade at xcreations@logic.bm.

Her show opens this Friday at the BSOA from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. It is on until March 17.