I have always had the need to make something, anything. Over the years I have concentrated my creative juices to focus primarily on jewelry. I started going to bead shows & making pieces for myself. And, one day it occurred to me, as my personal stash began to grow out of control, maybe someone else would like to wear this? I am self taught & anticipate learning the next technique which will undoubtedly lead to a world of possibilities.
Polymer clay is currently my medium of choice. I have been working with polymer for over a year now & have not even begun to push it to its limits. It does everything I ask and never argues. Polymer clay is a flexible blank canvas and has completely changed my jewelry designing. A whole new world has opened right in front of me, so exciting! I have been combining polymer clay with my signature thread inlay that I have been developing. The thread inlay evolved from my infatuation with light shades made from string, popular in the 70's. My jewelry is definitely different. But I hope that my unique style will catch on.
Inspiration comes easy to me & feel so lucky for this. My main inspiration is derived from food. I know this sounds crazy but stick with me...Quite a few years ago, I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease, which means no gluten – a protein found in wheat, rye, barley, & oats. So, being on a restricted diet I eat visually what I'm not allowed physically. I love to read recipes but more so I love to look at food pics! Alluring food pictures & blogs are where I find major inspiration. I think food is beautiful & the colors are simply pure & inspiring. I can look at a picture of pizza & draw three jewelry sketches. So this is how Mel's Art Buffet blossomed, by combining my greatest loves in life, food & art.
I don't have much luck with organization in my work space, see photo... but I do have one idea to share - I recently purchased 50+ small bags of seed beads from artbeads.com that were on sale for a $1 each. Seemed like a great idea at the time. Still excited when I received the package. Unwrapping, unwrapping, still unwrapping. Where in the world am I going to put 50 small baggies of beads? If I put them a small drawer organizer, I will rarely sift through to find the right color. After several days of contemplation, I found a solution that would work for me. I took a large Rubbermaid lid from a storage bin that had been sitting in the corner and drilled two holes at the top. Once I ran string through the holes, I was able to hang from the wall. I love velcro & can't seem to keep enough on hand. I placed a circle dot of velcro on the back of each baggie adhered the other end to the lid. Now all 50 bags are displayed for easy use & visibility :)
Links:
Etsy Shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/melsartbuffet
Ecrater Shop (my beaded jewelry): http://melsartbuffet.ecrater.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/melsartbuffet
Blog: http://melsartbuffet.blogspot.com/
Great interview.
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