Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy

www.fabulousfrippery.etsy.com

Who Inspires You?

Roz Eberhard (my teaching partner and all round amazing artist), Donna Kato (of course!), whose ideas and forms are innovative and inspiring - and who makes it look sooo easy - ha!;  Susan Turney - those finishes make my wrists ache just contemplating the hours of sanding!; James Lehman - again, his finishing is superb - but on such a large scale!  If I could get one of his polymer earth pieces - I’d carry it from America to Australia on my back!  And last but certainly not least - Richard and Jodi Creager.  I’ve made one doll - and it took aaaaages! I am so in awe of those people who can sculpt such beauty.

What Inspires You?

Glass: I love its depth.   Color - pink/orange/yellows and purple/blue/red combos are my favorite right now.  Bling Bling - I’m like one of those birds that’s attracted to glitz.  I can appreciate the beauty of old, antique and earth toned work - but it doesn’t inspire me like scarlet and gold.

Where do you create?

My trusty wooden table in my apartment lounge room, and at my friend Roz’s place - where the atmosphere is conducive to creativity.  My place is so small - every available surface covered with beads, clay or a combination of both.  And cat fur!  Which reminds me…my oven needs a serious clean!

How long have you been working with polymer clay?

Hmmm…about 15 years.  Although I’ve only been really serious about it since I discovered the online world of polymer clay in about 1998-9.   Once I started reading up on websites such as www.polymerclaycentral.com - I never looked back.  I’ve been teaching for the last 5 years.  Teaching keeps me grounded, forces me to evaluate my work and pays for all my new toys and tools :)

www.paperpam.etsy.com

Who Inspires You?

I am inspired by the polymer clay artist that think outside the box, like Ford and Forlano, Cynthia Toops, Jeff Devers to name a few. They go beyond the common cane. When you look at their  work, you have to say to yourself….that’s polymer clay? They combine textures, color and shape into something modern, yet ancient and natural.

What Inspires You?

I have always been inspired by color and texture. I love art that leaps out at you, that you have to touch. Archeology and fantasy novels are also my passions. They combine in my brain to make a new culture for me  to make artifacts from, mostly jewelry. Polymer clay can be made to look like any kind of substance I want it to. I can make a new piece of jewelry to look like it came from a far off civilization or time, one that was inspired by a novel I just read.

Where do you create?

I create all over my house. My poor husband has only a small cleared out place for him. I have taken over most of the rooms in our house. My son moved out, so I made his room my jewelry room. I have a very small porch that I use for my mixed media art…..but I do a lot of art in front of the TV at night. 

How long have you been working with polymer clay? 

I have been a polymer clay artist for about 11 years. I started out making art dolls. I sculpted the hands, feet , head and sometimes shoes and other parts. Then I would make all the clothes and accessories. I don’t ever see myself not using polymer clay….

www.zoeowyn.etsy.com

Who inspires you?
This is a tricky question to answer. There are so many aspects of my life and there is a lot of cross over from my day to day, to my art. As a graphic designer my personal design heroes were never a direct influence on my work, because the clientele were not oriented to those design styles, and interestingly enough graphic design never wormed its way into my jewelry. As an elementary art teacher, fine artists had a more direct impact, since I could then turn around and teach my students all about them, and we would create something representational. Frida Kahlo is a “who” that has inspired me, teaching my students about her was a kick. I then took that inspiration and not only created a portrait necklace of Frida, but I also began making sugar skulls from polymer and jewelry components. I tend to start to create very Gothic, vampire and ancient Greek type things after I read Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark Hunter books. And I’m in the middle of reading Laurell K. Hamilton’s Meredith Gentry books, so expect to see an increase in faeries in my work. In polymer clay I have my clay heroes, and yes their work does influence me. My two biggies are Victoria Hughes and Christie Friesen. I don’t necessarily want to mimic, or copy their work. They really do inspire, and then I let the work grow and morph and do what it is going to do. I have found if I try to be inspired and then copy or make my version of their work, the work turns out not very good, and I end up feeling like some cheap bad rip off artist. That is not to say you wont see aspects of their influences in my work, but I am much happier taking the inspiration and moving forward with it.

What inspires you?
Anything and everything. Frequently it will be a part of an idea that I run with, or a misinterpretation that I run with. I am influenced by situations or just everything I do. A visit to the aquarium started a run of mermaids and sea horses and sea dragons, in my jewelry and in my drawing. I am heavily influenced by ancient art, but you wouldn’t know that immediately if you look at my work. My current favorite musical artist is a Turkish pop star named Tarkan. Tarkan’s music makes me want to dance. (I, by the way, have been a belly dancer for almost 20 years now and I teach and make costumes.) The dancing makes me think of a performance costume, which in turn makes me think of new and interesting color combinations. I also start to think about other middle eastern design elements, Next thing you know, I’m listening to Tarkan and making some wild mica powder covered hand of Fatima pendants with paisleys.
It’s all tied together.

Where do you create?
The easy answer: where ever I can. I technically have a worktable. However, it really is more a project storage table than anything else. I keep my clay tools together in a tool bag (it’s a scrap booking station bag–I love it!) and I take my bag wherever I need to work. Sometimes it’s on a tray table, sometimes its in bed, sometimes it’s at a friend’s house. When I’m doing anything that requires the pasta machine, I am more limited since there is only one location the little guy will clamp on to, and that is the kitchen counter. I am frequently walking between the kitchen and my worktable, since they are in different rooms, and I don’t work much at the kitchen table.

How long have you been working with clay?
I have been working with clay in one form or another my entire life. I started with ceramic clay, and was always making fantasy things, not cups and bowls, but dragons and wizards. Unfortunately my clay work was always limited to having (or not) access to a kiln. In art school after I made a 4 foot tall ceramic column with dragons on the capitol, my mother said I was not allowed to switch from graphics and become ceramic major (how well she knows me). Later on in art school (late 1980s) I was introduced to polymer clay for scale display making. I no longer had access to a kiln, so this was a great find for me. It never occurred to me to use the polymer for jewelry until I saw some of Victoria Hughes’ work in a magazine. I was completely hooked on the faux ivory process-this was now the early 1990s. By the mid 1990s I was making and selling jewelry and accessories, incorporating real gems and semi precious stones. I took a break from polymer when I started having children, I didn’t want to be exposed to anything potentially harmful while pregnant, and I certainly did not have time after they were born.  My husband gave me a metal clay class for Valentine’s Day 2002, and I was hooked–to me it was like polymer clay, only metal. I became a certified PMC artisan through PMC Connection, level 1 in 2003 and level 2 in 2004. I began working with the faux ivory technique again to incorporate with the metal clay right away. It wasn’t until I wrote Christie Friesen a fan note– because her inclusion of gems and her dragons reminded me of how I used to do that– and received a reply the next day, that I returned to polymer clay with earnest. Her reply was the catalyst I needed. I enjoy the hands on process, polymer clay, metal clay, and ceramics; to my fingers they have the same therapeutic effect.

www.camida.etsy.com

Who inspires you?

Because I’m a mixed media artist who incorporates polymer clay with a variety of other materials, I’m inspired by polymer clay artists Debbie Jackson, Donna Snow, and fellow PCAGOE artist Marcia Palmer who do the same. Also, the creations of clay artists Christopher Malone, Courtney Tomchick, Kimmie Cantrell and Joseph Woodford resonate with me and feed my creative soul.

What inspires you?
The colors, textures, patterns, textiles and symbols of African tribal groups are the major influences in my work. I’m also inspired by organic forms, modern art motifs and luscious, evocative color combinations.

Where do you create?
I create everywhere; mostly in my head before I ever get to put pencil to paper, or hand to polymer clay. I create while I am shopping for supplies, I create when I’m browsing in a bookstore, I create when I’m daydreaming, showering, or just falling asleep (doesn’t everyone do that?!)
Once I am able to actually work, I have the luxury of a brand new custom-built studio in the basement of my home, which was conceived, designed and built by my husband. I’ve just moved into it in the last couple of weeks, and I’m still getting used to all the wonderful space, light and comfort. I’m truly grateful for it all!

How long have you been working with polymer clay?
I’ve worked with polymer clay since the mid-90’s; first as a jewelry designer (transitioning from porcelain clay when I moved away from a shared kiln), then as a mixed media artist, after I decided jewelry was too limiting. I see my work evolving to include more mixed media projects, and perhaps larger ones; wall hangings and perhaps furniture…and I’m excited about the possibilities.