Marcympc, Pittsburgh, PA
Business executive turned artist. Surprise!!!
There was never a moment in my life when I knew I was supposed to be an artist. In fact, I’m still astounded by the fact that I seem to have become one! The first items I made were beads in a class on making polymer clay beads – rough and crude big beads, but still useable. A couple more classes and with the help of my local polymer clay guild I began working on my own projects. I love to use polymer clay: it is a most malleable and forgiving medium. I use embellishments such as beads, eyes, yarns or ribbons, as well as the ‘mechanical parts’ needed for zipper pulls, clocks, pens and similar useful items. I’ve been drawn mainly to functional art – clocks, bookmarks, bracelet fasteners and so forth, but am now beginning to branch out into more ‘art for art’s sake’ kinds of items.
My primary inspiration as an artist comes from nature. I like creating flowers, insects and animals as either canes or mini-sculptures. Organic developments resulting from manipulating the clay colors also fascinate me. Sometimes surprise streakiness or other accidental design makes a lovely piece. Influences on my work have come from several places and instructors. I’ve taken classes and workshops from a number of artists and learned useful things from each of them. Friends who offer encouragement are the people in my life who most inspire me to keep going.
When I sit down to work with polymer clay, it is play time! I generally have in mind only a category (clock, figure, a certain technique) that I want to work on. I prepare some clay, maybe add some cane slices or make a blend if needed, and go from there.
