Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy

mosaico.etsy.com

Who inspires you?
The way he can look at anything and see what it can become, rather than what it is, makes my husband my biggest inspiration. I’m also inspired by people who can make a living selling their art while remaining true to themselves.

What inspires you?
Textures from anywhere and everywhere, but especially from nature, inspire me. The clay itself is a great inspiration…the way it can mimic just about anything. I’m also inspired by the belief that everyone’s world would be better without beige switch plates.

Where do you create?
My space is in my unfinished basement with its’ pink insulation walls. It’s not as depressing as it sounds though. It’s on the ground floor and has a sliding door with a view to the backyard. There’s a gas fireplace, so it’s lovely in the winter too. I have my eye on our closed in carport…need to sell more switch plates to make that happen though.

How long have you been working with polymer clay?
I first picked it up about 5 years ago. I played around with it on and off, but didn’t really start working with it until about a year ago.

colorfunky.etsy.com

Who inspires you?
My biggest inspiration comes from my nine year old daughter and my seven year old son. I love the their artistic creations. I love the colors and designs of their clothes. I love the illustrations in many of their books. I love they way they describe the world through their eyes.

I am also inspired by other artists. I love to look at other artists’ creations on the internet and in person. I was recently very inspired by an exhibit at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. It was an exhibit of mosaic work by Niki de Saint Phalle.

My husband is an excellent sounding board for my ideas, very supportive and a source of strength and inspiration.

What inspires you?
I am inspired by bold patterns I see everywhere. I particularly love prints and patterns in fabric, home decor items children’s clothes and paper goods. I love the way light plays off colored glass. I love deep, rich and bright colors. I get ideas from nature like citrus patterns, spring colors and deep greens. I am inspired by colors that make me feel happy. I also strive to make my creations functional. For instance, I love to cover pens, push pins, candle holders and magnets with polymer clay. I love modern design.

Where do you create?
I have a craft room in my basement which I designed to meet my creative needs. There is a wonderful window which faces into my backyard where right now I can see huge clumps of black-eyed-susans in front of a wooded backdrop.

How long have you been working with polymer clay?
You could call me a “newbie”. I have been working with polymer clay for approximately four years. While I had admired polymer clay artwork in the past, I did not try it until recently. I am constantly amazed by the properties of polymer clay and look forward to making lots of new creations in the future.

Ittybittiesforyou.etsy.com

Who inspires you?
My boyfriend and best friend, Tony, inspires me the most. He is extremely creative so he’s always got something interesting to talk about or do. He’s been taking most of my product pictures lately and I think that he does an amazing job. Whenever we look at them I just can’t help but smile. He totally understands the message of my pieces and he always takes it above and beyond. Tony is incredibly supportive and helps me out in every way that he can. I really appreciate everything that he does for me.

What inspires you?
I draw inspiration from nearly everything. I love looking through other people’s art and seeing different color combinations, textures and materials. Even food can inspire me. I love watching the Food Network’s cake baking competitions where they make huge elaborate wedding cakes and colorful cartoon character cakes.

I also own a pottery wheel so that definitely gets me thinking on a completely different level. I love making functional pieces with my wheel. Pottery makes me love polymer even more because I can create pieces that show emotion and character as opposed to strictly being practical. Being that I use polymer and pottery to such extremes brings a lot of motivation.

Where do you create?
I sit on the floor and use a little fold-up table that is literally only about 2’ x 1’ x 2’. I think that it’s probably only meant to be used as a glorified breakfast-in-bed table, but for the past couple of years it has met my needs! It’s big enough for me to clamp my lamp onto it and create away. In the past week or so I have actually been pulling in a kitchen chair and sitting at a card table. It feels so gigantic to me!

How long have you been working with polymer clay?
When I was about 8 years old, my friend got the Klutz book called “The Incredible Clay Book”. That was the first time that I had ever heard of polymer clay. It’s been 12 years and the rest is history!

Growing up I always made little animals and people with bright, colorful clothing on. When I was about 10 years old, I sold a tiny frog to a family friend. Being so young, it nearly knocked me off my feet when she handed me a $10 bill for my little creation. I still get very excited when I make a sale, but it means so much more to me now than it did back then.

I love the fact that I found clay at such a young age. It excites me to think of what new ideas and techniques I’ll come up with in the next six months, but I can’t even imagine where I will be in ten years.