Member Interview - Beadworx
Who inspires you?
When I surf the net I get inspiration everywhere - we have a lot of great artists out there. Jewelry artists, both clay and metal can inspire me to do a project as well as painters and crafters in other mediums. I absorb everything I see, I’m an “eye-person”.
Sure there are some idols too, as I already wrote in the PCAGOE’s April Newsletter survey: I absolutely admire Jeff Dever and Dan Cormier for their precision work combined with a great feeling for shape and color. I love Kathleen Dustin for her outstanding artistic work and her willingness to share knowledge. I admire Donna Kato for her devotion to the material and for having an open ear for everything related to it - and of course for her great beads. I love Sarah Shriver, she’s an outstanding artist and sooo funny, and Maggie Maggio/Lindly Haunani for their knowledge in color and their great personalities - Grant Diffendaffer, Judy Belcher, Jana Roberts Benzon, Lisa Pavelka…I could go on and on…all these people inspire me in my clay work - in one way or another.
What inspires you?
As I said before - I’m an eye-person and I can get inspiration out of many things. Everywhere I go is inspiration, in picturesque nature as well as in the big city (with all the lights and manmade geometrical shapes of architecture). Everywhere around us is color, texture and shape, you just have to live with your eyes wide open. I note ideas on every piece of paper around me or sketch impulses into my journal. Having a journal is a great way to get inspired from yourself sometimes - just scroll through from time to time.
Where do you create?
I just finished my new studio in the basement a few months ago - ok, finished may be not the right word - it’s never finished - but it’s functional.
How long have you been working with clay?
I knew about polymer clay since I was a kid, but never used it because it was too expensive. Then in the fall of 2003 I was planning to make some cute snowglobes with winter scenes for Christmas gifts and decided that Fimo would be the right choice to manage that. I surfed the net for information, and oh-my-goodness- I found out there were polymer clay people all over the world doing stuff like millefiore and kaleidoscopes with the medium - I got infected right away, went out to get some clay and started doing jewelry for Christmas. I have been working with the medium for more than 4 years now and I’m still hooked - maybe more than ever. And by the way: I never made a single snowglobe.
