“I often find myself photographing old buildings, decaying nature, peeling paint, broken concrete, and oxidised metal as inspiration for my work,” says Valda Tolonen, a Latvian artist based in Finland who is drawn to minimal forms and imperfect textures. She discovered polymer clay just over four years ago: “It's the first creative medium that has held my attention for this long, and I still don't see an end in sight,” she adds. These earrings are part of her Brutalist series

Color, precision, and a strong sense of design are the hallmarks of Meisha Barbee's work. Based in San Diego, Maysha discovered polymer clay many years ago and has been working with it professionally for more than two decades. Throughout her career, she has explored a variety of artistic mediums, always bringing the same thoughtful approach to modern design, harmonious colour palettes, and timeless simplicity. When Meisha first began working with polymer clay, she happened to

Anna Lytvynyuk's creative philosophy is simple: beautiful objects should be functional, and functional objects should be beautiful. Although she discovered polymer clay only two years ago, she was immediately drawn to its versatility and quickly realised the importance of building a strong technical foundation. Through Polymer Week online classes and tutorials, Anna developed not only practical skills and confidence with tools and techniques, but also the freedom to explore h

Crackle patterns can hide layers, create contrast, and bring a sense of age, movement, and unexpected beauty to polymer clay. This was the focus of our June Challenge. There are countless ways to create crackle patterns in polymer clay, and throughout this challenge we explored exciting approaches using colour, mixed media, surface treatments, and a wide variety of techniques. The result was a collection of incredible entries where cracks, lines, and broken patterns became in

In this inspiring Society session, we had the pleasure of sitting down with Annette Kramer to explore the remarkable journey that led her to polymer clay. Annette shares how her path began in the world of opera and classical vocal performance before taking unexpected turns through graphic design, marketing, and executive management. Eventually, while searching for a creative outlet, she discovered polymer clay, a medium that has become an important part of her life. Together,

Barbara Briggs is a mixed-media artist who enjoys exploring various materials and genres. Originally working with fiber and having run a weaving studio and yarn shop, she has since immersed herself in other art materials, including metal and polymer clay. In this tutorial, Barbara presents a layered, free-form brooch built around a three-dimensional, ragged-edged focal created using the Starry Night technique. The focal is nestled into a textured base, framed by contrasting o

Inspired by a ceramic artwork she recently discovered, Liselot Henderyckx set herself an unusual challenge: to recreate the look and feel of ceramic entirely in polymer clay. Created for the February Society Challenge, themed Faux Materials, these sculptural vases explore the idea of imitation in a different way, not by using traditional faux techniques, but by transforming one material into the convincing appearance of another. The finished pieces hold one more surprise: whe

What happens when colour disappears and only form remains? In our recent online session, we spoke with Olga Chernyshova, one of the most inspiring contemporary polymer clay artists in Europe. Going from Belarus through South Korea and other countries to France, where she is currently based, these experiences, together with her background in ceramics and connection to nature, have strongly influenced both her style and approach to polymer clay. During the conversation, Olga sh