A Year of Clay

One year ago, I discovered the wonders of Polymer Clay. I'm an avid crafter and weekend artist, and during my annual "decompression" vacation to Maui last March, I decided to try my hand at polymer clay. That initial two weeks of discovery has blossomed into a full-blown obsession and love of this medium. Today, I'm creating jewelry, boxes and figures, and other items for gifts or sale. Whatever can fit in my convection oven (and doesn't melt) is fair game to be covered in polymer clay. My husband, a weekend woodturner, and I have collaborated on some turned vessels with polymer clay accents, and we are continuing to experiment with both mediums as our two artistic journeys converge.

For those of you who have never heard of polymer clay, it is an oven-cured, PVC modeling material. Initially discovered in the late 1930's in Germany, this versatile medium has been in wide use by artists in the U.S. for the last decade, and is finally beginning to gain recognition as a fine art material (rather than a "craft" material) due to the skill and artistry of many professional polymer clay arists and designers.

This week has been a banner week for me. Last year, I was invited by Donna Kato to participate in her second annual polymer clay contest for her company and clay line, Kato Polyclay. Seventy artists were invited to create items made from the Kato Polyclay product line with the theme of "boxes." During the recent Craft and Hobby Association (CHA) trade show in Atlanta, these entries were judged by a panel, and my piece, "Donnelly's Sampler," won second place! I was so honored to even have been invited to participate, that I never imagined that I would win a prize!

It has been a wonderful year of discovery, experimentation and sheer fun. This blog will be dedicated to my experiments and trials in polymer clay, including my experimentation with other mediums that mingle with clay.