Artists at Work:
Polymer Clay Comes of Age
by Pierrette Brown Ashcroft and Lindly Haunani

Soft Cover, 80 pages, softcover, 130 color photos
Craft Book - Polymer Clay
ISBN-1-886388-02-4

At the end of a wonderful evening with a gathering of polymer-clay artists and friends, I had the pleasure of looking at some of the transparencies for this book. How exciting it was to see just how this incredible medium is evolving! As we held each sheet of transparencies up to the light, the excitement level kept rising. We talked about Pier Voulkos and her "sowing of the seeds" for much of what were were seeing. We talked about Maureen Carlson, Tory Hughes, and many others, whose independent tracks now converge into a tremendously diverse group of artists. Their love of this material and their innovative use of it is apparent throughout this book.

The artists represented in this book come from many different backgrounds and disciplines. They are pushing, stretching, and redefining the boundaries of this remarkable medium. All of us who love polymer clay experience wave after wave of amazement each time we see new work, because there is such variety. We all look forward with excitement to the future of this medium, which has come of age in the 90s.

The immediacy of the material, the need for just a few tools, and the minimal technical knowledge required to start working with polymer clay, allow free rein of artistic expression.

Nan Roche, author of The New Clay

The 59 artists, whose works are included in this book, present you with a visual feast of pieces., imaginatively designed and beautifully crafted. Polymer clay has clearly come of age.

The work you'll see here is amazing. There's jewelry, of course, but also game boards, books, dolls, miniature flowers, sculptures made from hundreds of tiny, handmade tiles, illustrations for a children's book, clocks, three-dimensional scenes and panels - all made of polymer clay. In addition to a short biography, the artists describe their favorite tools, their studios or work spaces, how they experiment to develop their ideas, their methods of working, and how they get over those periods when their imaginations lag.

Artists Include:

Jamey Allen
Kathleen Amt
Pierrette Brown Ashcroft
Laura Balombini
Deborah Banyas and T.P. Speer
Pat Berlin
Melissa Brown Bidermann
Martha Breen
Shellie Brooks and Doug Quade
Maureen Carlson
Pat Corigan
Ann Curtis
Claire Laties Davis
Andrew Denman
Francois Durham-Moulin
Kathleen Dustin
David Edwards
Jacqui Ertischek
Michele Fanner
Steven Ford and David Forlano
Michael Grove and Ruth Anne Grove
Lindly Haunani
Tory Hughes

Ramona Johnston
Doris Keats and James Keats
Diane Keeler
Doug Kennedy
Robin Kimball
Karyn Kozak
Mike Kury
Christie Leu
E. Raye LeValley
Jewel Lewis
Margaret Maggio
Liz Mitchell
Barbara Morrison
Laura Liska Oakes
Linda Pedersen
Martha Phelps
Jan Regent
Nan Roche
Kelly Russell
Milene Sennett and Rudi Sennett
Ileen Shefferman
Carol Shelton
Sarah Nelson Shriver
Mary Jane Sirett
Wilcke Smith
Jeanne Sturdevant
Lynne Sward
Sam Terry
Cynthia Toops
Pier Voulkos
Barb Wagley
Carol Walker-Morin
Ellen Watt
Laura White
Elise Winters
Jane Woodside