Designs Diane by Diane Luftig

My first exposure to polymer clay came as I admired a necklace on a fellow volunteer at the Birmingham-Bloomfield Art Association in Birmingham, Michigan in 1996. She explained if I took her class, she'd show me how to make the beautiful beads she wore. Well, the woman is Marie Johannes, my mentor and very good friend. The necklace may be viewed in Creating with Polymer Clay (page 46) by Steven Ford & Leslie Dierks. I took the class and became enamored with polymer clay. Instant gratification! I now work in my studio in Littleton, Colorado, creating various designs in jewelry, beads, and decorative art.

In addition to studying with Marie, I've had the great fortune to study with many of the premiere artists in this medium. Among them are Pier Volkus, Kathleen Dustin, Donna Kato, Sarah Shriver, Tory Hughes, Maggie Maggio, Lindly Haunani, Jacqueline Lee, Cynthia Toops, Gwen Gibson, and Celie Fago. My personal style is still evolving, incorporating a little from each of these influences.

The medium I predominately choose to work with is polymer clay, a synthetic material made of polyvinyl chloride - the same material as PVC pipe! - with the addition of a plasticizer to enable manipulation. The color spectrum is unlimited as the various colors of clay many be combined and blended, as one would paint, to produce a new shade or hue. The clay may also be combined without blending to construct a design reminiscent of the glass technique of millefiori.

My work is essentially one of a kind, with each item built of many slices of "canes" I construct from polymer clay and subsequently reduce to various sizes. Although the designs may seem to be painted, they are constructed entirely of clay. At first glance, there may appear to be similarity between items, but closer examination reveals that I never truly duplicate a design. Finished pieces often incorporate semiprecious stones, silver (fine, sterling and Bali), and fine glass beads (Czech, Japanese, Austrian). The designs are as beautiful from the back as they are from the front. My careful attention to detail results in a refined finish on every item.