i had the distinct pleasure of spending time with polymer clay artist ellen marshall during the workshop. her book, ‘polymer clay surface design recipes’ is always open on my studio table. i’m not a ‘project’ person so i never read the pc books to follow a project to an end product. i read the books because i am interested in tips on how to do things better and information about techniques that i can use to further my own work in my own voice.
although marshall’s book includes several projects, what i find most appealing and interesting – and the reason that it sits open in my studio – is that it is set up as a reference guide for different surface treatments, an encyclopedia of techniques that can be utilized in countless applications. and that is exactly how i use it.
marshall is also a great conversationalist and i think there might be some marathon conversations in our future. she also shared a glimpse of a surface treatment that she is teaching this summer at beadfest philadelphia and i can assure you that her decade long devotion to polymer clay comes through loud and clear. she transforms a sheet of white clay into a softly colored collage of subtly blended pastels with accents that pop…you will have a hard time believing the canvas is polymer clay.
i’m hoping we can coax marshall to write another book. sooner rather than later. maybe ‘polymer clay: the complete reference guide’? she’s the one to do it.
many thanks to ellen and the philadelphia guild for hosting the master class with dan cormier and tracy holmes. and don’t forget, watch this space soon for more about the workshop – if your guild has not booked this workshop yet you won’t want to miss my thoughts about it.
