Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy

We would like to extend a warm welcome to some of our newest guild members: CLBdesigns, NKDesigns, Lesska, and CaneCrazy.

CLBcreations sculpts dragons and trolls that have a lot of personality. She also has a blog, where we may soon be seeing interviews of other polymer clay artists.

NKDesigns, Lesska, and CaneCrazy create polymer clay jewelry. Lesska’s multi-layer pendants look like glass and are made with rich autumn colors. NKDesigns’ shop offers pretty floral pendants in a variety of colors, and CaneCrazy creates floral bead sets.

Be sure to check out the Our Members section to see more of our members’ polymer clay art!

bencandance.etsy.com

Who inspires you?
I honestly don’t know the name of even one well-known polymer artist because I don’t really like to work that way. It’s too easy to look at talented artists of a certain medium and to feel discouraged or, at the other extreme, to be so heavily influenced that your art may start to mimic theirs. I do occasionally look at Polymer technique books and I like to see what my fellow Etsy polymer artists are up to…… but that’s really it. I kind of like my own funky style.

What inspires you?
Everything inspires me! Absolutely everything. Music, magazines, T.V. shows, nature… all of it. I have ideas that flit through my mind constantly and I carry a little notebook so I can jot them all down or do little sketches. My greatest ideas come in the car for some reason. I quickly jot down notes at stoplights while my black Lab, in the back-seat, peers over my shoulder.

Where do you create?
I create at our large kitchen island made of granite. I have three tool-boxes filled with supplies and a cupboard to keep them all in. I do most of my creating late at night while the house is quiet and I can listen to shows I’ve TiVo’d just for that purpose (Dateline, 20/20, Dr. Phil). Talk shows and magazine shows are great to listen to while I clay because I don’t have to actually be watching the T.V.!

How long have you been working with polymer clay?
I have always been an artistic person and have tried a wide variety of different mediums. I have sketched, painted (using oils), sculpted, done carpentry-projects, mosaics and have even tried some fairly easy sewing projects (not to keen on the sewing, I must say!) I actually started out several years ago by taking a pottery class where I learned that I hated the wheel but loved free-form sculpture. From there, I went to Michaels to look for some kind of bakeable clay so I could sculpt at home! I read the packages and thought… “perfect!” My favorite thing about working with polymer clay is that it always brings me back to my childhood and reminds me of “playdough time” at Kindergarten and of not wanting to leave the little table when it was clean-up time. Now I don’t have to!

Recently we (PCAGOE members) completed a collaborative project for the Etsy headquarters and lab. We created a wall hanging with Etsy’s slogan. We decided to create it in the same style as our PCAGOE banner with different members each creating a letter or two and then one member , Dawn of HardflowerStudios.etsy.com, creating the background and assembling the final piece. This was no small undertaking and it took us a couple of months to complete. We recently sent the gift to the Etsy Labs along with some polymer clay and a pasta machine. We felt that in order for the labs to be complete, they had to have some polymer clay for artists to come in and use. Plus, we are all about promoting polymer clay as an art medium, so this was a way for us to hopefully do our part to introduce it to some artists who have never used it before (few as they may be)!

The wall hanging was happily received by the Labs and they even wrote about it on the Etsy blog. If you ever visit the Etsy Labs, please keep an eye out for the wall hanging and please take a closer look. The detailing really can’t be captured with a camera! Some of the techniques used: mokume gane, caning, sculpture, texturing, coloring with pigment powders, metal leaf, stamping and painting.

I think the best part of the project was how different each letter was, but how great they all looked together!

PCAGOE members who contributed to this project:
Ilysaart, StudioBijou, MarciaPalmer, ScottGarrette, MaureenThomasDesigns, HardflowerStudios, MamaStaub, BlueLadyStudios, BenCanDance, IttyBittiesForYou, MadeinLowell, Faffcreations, TheColorofDreams, DeerCrossDesigns, BreezyDawnDesigns, NatureStudio, LadyRayCello, ColorFunky, NothinLikeIt, Peggers, BlockPartyPress, Treasurefield, Nanjodogz, Polyclarific, BlueDogBeads, MithrilDreams, and Cutesis. The letter board was compiled by HardflowerStudios.

Who inspires you?
All polymer clay artists inspire me, and the fascinating versatility of the medium makes it difficult to pick favorites. Among “famous” artists, though, I would say that works by Celie Fago, Louise Fisher Cozzi, Elise Winters, Grant Diffendaffer, and Cynthia Toops really seem to capture my attention… quite a diverse group (and so much for picking a favorite!).

What inspires you?
Nature, textures, and color. I’m easily distracted by a beautiful leaf or a striking color combination in the garden. I usually mix my own polymer clay colors and I sometimes wonder if I don’t enjoy finding the recipe for an imagined color as much as actually creating a finished piece.

Where do you create?
I have a spare bedroom that I used to call my “sewing room”. Since I rediscovered polymer clay, my Bernina is hard to find and the mending pile is high. My husband realized that he couldn’t keep me out of the garage so I now have my own corner there too for an oven, Dremel, tumblers, buffer, “spare” pasta machines, etc. I tend to spread out a lot when I work so I find myself all over the house.

How long have you been working with polymer clay?
I probably started playing with clay about 10 or 12 years ago, but I got into it more intensely 3 years ago.