Polymer Clay Productions, Inc.Polymer Clay Productions

I am often inspired to create by an array of things, there is no one source for my creative inspiration it comes from sometimes the smallest of things and sometimes monumental things or life changes. Over the past few years my life has changed and I have found I am inspired by different things now and I think it shows in my art. Lately my focus has been on learning the silkscreening process and I am having a ton of fun. I am posting a few photos for you to see what I have been playing around with.

My main focus over the past years was the millefiori technique and creating items with the different canes to make and sell at the art shows in quantity. I no longer do art shows and don’t need to make tons of things anymore. I find that sometimes it keeps me from doing some of the pieces I would like to do that would be quite large and would be a perfect attention grabber at the art shows. I say to myself what am I going to do with such a large sculpture as my house is full of my artwork already and I am trying to unload somethings. Unload somethings, that makes me laugh because my husband Ed and I used to laugh at the older couples who admired our artwork at the art shows but said they weren’t buying anything because they were unloading. I think as you get older things just seem to get in the way and make more work, like dusting. LOL

I have been making jewelry since I was 5 years old when my mother taught me how to. Recently I had been burnt out on making jewelry and thought that perhaps I might not make jewelry anymore but it seems I always come back to my roots and have made some silk screened beads and pendants of course with the intention of making some jewelry with them.

My mother has Alzhiemers and unfortunately she will never be able to use her beads again so now combined with my extensive collection of beads I officially have more beads than I could ever use in my life. I am OK with that and have shared some of her collection with Etsy buyers but I have to say my mothers collection is absolutely incredible! Her collection spans more than 30 years of visiting antique shows, thrift stores, yard sales and of course arts & craft shows.

Now that I am back on the path of jewelry making I am sure you will see lots of my mothers collection incorporated into my designs. My mother loved to create wire wrapped fused glass pieces she would make herself and I am typically not a fan of wire wrapping but she did some gorgeous work. I will have to take some photos to share with you. My mother was a psychologist not to mention my father was too but her clients would often ask her to buy her necklaces and she hated to sell them and unless someone nagged her she would not sell them and then only for a good price. My mom would spend weeks perfecting just one piece and it showed. I have to say I would go crazy working on one small piece for that long, I like to make something and have instant gratification which I am sure is why I love polymer clay so much.

While going through and packing up my mothers things when we had to sell her house I discovered a bag of pendants that she had made years and years ago and I actually remember her sitting at the kitchen table embedding quartz crystals into this clay to make the pendants. Well the clay happened to be Fimo and I didn’t discover or realize she ever worked with the clay until all these years later. I discovered the clay years later while living in NYC and never even had any idea it was the same clay my mom had used. Too funny!

What got me talking about inspiration is that I received a copy of Artful Blogging & Art Doll Quarterly from StStampington

The magazines are full of inspiration and the photos are beautiful. We will be reviewing these magazine books on an upcoming issue of Polymer Clay Podcast and you won’t want to miss it. Speaking of Polymer Clay Podcast, don’t forget to come back Friday for a new episode. I hope you get inspired to create something today!