More than twenty five years ago Japan’s Kazuko Miyai looked to a chemist to help her create “a plastic polymer that is silky smooth, lightweight and willing to adopt even the most lacy, paper-thin shape.” Kazuko has spent years teaching others, including her daughter Yukiko, to create stunning, detailed flowers and figurines with the air-dry Deco Clay.
Yukiko brought the clay to Honolulu in 1998 – it quickly became a favorite throughout Asia and is gaining popularity in the United States through Miyai’s Deco Clay Craft Academy. She also creates custom bouquets for any occassion – these look like they could be from the pages of Martha Stewart Weddings. Beautiful. Lifelike. Vibrant.
Yukiko’s website boasts plenty of eye-candy – the flowers are so lifelike that this former floral designer (I specialized in wedding work – didn’t know that about me, did you?) had a difficult time believing they weren’t the real thing.
Yukiko Miyai’s recently published ‘Clay Art for All Seasons’ looks to be a beautiful book that includes instructions for several projects. You can find the link in the sidebar.
We can thank Toby for this great find!
