Christelle van Lingen Expressions in Polymer Clay

I've been agonising over this first post for days. What will I write, will I be able to find the correct words in English(afrikaans is my mothertongue), will I be able to live up to the expectations I've imposed on myself?

I guess the best place to start is in the beginning.

My love affair with polymer clay started after we immigrated to the US and because I could not work I found myself with lots of time on my hands. I started with something I knew, metal and wire. The vessels I wove gave me immense satisfaction, but I was frustrated because I could not find the beads I wanted - they were never just right....nearly there, but not what I was looking for.

Then one day my daughter came home after an art class with little sculptures made with a product I did not know....polymer clay. I immediately saw the possibilities, ran to the stores to get clay and then to the library to find a book. Polymer The Chameleon Clay caught my eye and home we went. Needless to say....... I was hooked!

I started making beads and sold them on ebay....never got to incorporate them into the wire vessels.... perhaps one day.

My first canes were simple, but I found ways to manipulate them to my liking. These earrings were made with my very first beads I sold by Dana of Newmoondesign:

I never feel I have enough time to just play with clay, but some days I can just sit down and create to my heart's content. My work has evolved over the past few years and I find new ways to express myself through my work.

I hope you enjoy the work and ideas I share in the future here...... not just about myself, but also the work of lots and lots of other wonderfully talented artists.

Art is a shadow of what a person is thinking... a small glimpse of what they hold inside. Little secrets, regrets, joys... every line has its own meaning. Sarah, Los Cerros