How long have you been making Beads of Clay?
Beads in particular I probably started making them in about 2004 or 2005. But I have made porcelain jewelry since about 1997. I've been doing porcelain dolls, miniatures, etc. since 1986
Do you work exclusively in porcelain? If so, what is it about porcelain that draws you to it?
No not exclusively porcelain but mostly porcelain. I do some stoneware and have recently bought some terracotta for some of my native American projects. But porcelain is my favorite by far. I like it because of the fineness of its texture and its translucency as well as its strength. Also I don't think there is any clay that compare with the beauty of porcelain. It works best for china painting which is one of my primary techniques so that is another reason for using porcelain. Porcelain has an almost sensual quality about it I think.
How do you get your ideas? Do they take a long to flesh themselves out?
Well I get ideas from lots of places. I may see something someone else has done and think of a different way that some of the qualities of that thing could fit into something different. Or I may get inspiration from a picture or photo or from talking to other people. I think brainstorming with someone else is a great way to get things going.
Sometimes they take a long time or evolve over time. Sometimes it takes a long time to get to them I have a lot of things going on at any one time and it is usually not possible to just start a new project. So by the time I get around to an idea it may have changed dramatically from the original idea because life goes on and various things may create input to the original idea and change it. Sometimes an idea will just pop into my head and the end product comes out exactly as I originally envisioned it, but this is pretty rare.
Do you have a favorite tool?
Many. Different favorite tools for different things. I have an x-acto professional swivel knife that I particularly like for detailed carving and cleaning of small pieces. I have an antique drafting pen that I use for applying raised structure to china painted pieces. It really just depends on the task at hand.
What/who inspires you the most?
This is a hard question. I have no idea. Lots of things inspire me and the one that is doing it at the time would be different depending on my state of mind. I'm not really sure that I could pin it down to one or a few individuals or things.
Do you ever get blocked?
Sometimes I suppose but not usually. I generally have plenty of relatively brainless tasks that need to be done that give my mind plenty of time to work out new things to do when I have finished the brainless tasks. Usually my biggest problem when I actually have time to create something new is which one to pick from the long list of things I would really like to do.
What are some of your newest creations?
Most recently I've been working on a collaboration with a PMC artist. I did a bunch of funny faces looking out a window. She is going to put the roofs and doors/shutters on the windows with PMC to make them look like little rustic houses. Then when you open the door you will see the funny face. You can see some of them on my blog, Porcelain Art.
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