Pegalie, Highland, IL
Jewelry and personal accessories (key rings, purse holders) as well as home decor items (wall art, lamps) made of polymer clay. While these items are light in weight, they are very durable and will not crack or break with normal use. Polymer clay is much lighter and far more durable than glass.
When people first see my work, they usually ask if the design is painted on the clay. It is not. Each piece is all clay, manipulated in a way to create painterly effects and fluid designs. I sometimes incorporate inks, powders, gold and silver leaf into the clay for a shimmer effect or design element, but all portions of the piece are hand-worked clay.
Many elements of each piece start with what we call a "cane". Much like millefiori glasswork, sheets of different colors of clay are stacked, wrapped, twisted, and rolled to make "canes" from which very thin (1/64") slices are taken and applied to a base. Once the design is completed, the finished object is baked in an oven for 40 minutes or longer; many pieces require multiple bakings as additional elements of the design are added. Each piece is hand sanded to enhance the design.
All my designs require several levels of precision and measurement - in the mixing of the colors, the placement of the design elements, the texture, the size and shape. Each item is one of a kind and my original design. Shapes and colors may be repeated, but no two items will ever be exactly alike because of the hand-made process.
