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Polymer clay artist: Jackie Ryan

 Hummingbirds and butterflies, gems of peridot, green garnet, Swarovski crystals 

Jackie Ryan makes beautiful polymer clay pieces that are featured on her website, Kydo Jewellery.  You can also find out what she has been up to on her blog.  Jackie writes:


I started out in the arts as a botanical painter later a soft sculputre artist then into making jewellery with silver and gold but, a few years back I was introduced to Premo Polymer Clay, as a painter I thought 'it's a bit like paint in solid form' many years ago I worked with clay but this was different I had colour now and many more colours could be mixed from the basics! To begin with, I made different items from small sculptures to jewellery, which is now my preference.

I prefer to make appliquéd raised and sculptural designs I make mainly necklaces some are very elaborate, but all contain gemstones, opals, fossils, pearls, vintage Swarovski crystals or other elements of silver or gold. I work from my own sketches and make all my own templates, each piece in a design is formed by hand.

Last year with the high cost of gold and silver, I got to thinking how nice it would be to work with gold clay that I could shape into my own designs for necklaces and pendants, a lovely setting for beautiful designer Jaspers, Agates and Gemstones etc, I used carefully chosen quality stones, pearls or crystals to add the perfect necklace to the pendants and neckpieces. So working from my original sketches; I spent the next six months building a collection of art necklaces and pendants. And so the Gold Collection was born.

The inspiration. Water plays a large part in my life as I live close to the ocean, enjoy local lakes and streams, with reeds and swans, birds of all kinds, I love the ponds in our garden, flowers, trees are important to me, also mosses and ferns. Each piece of jewellery I sketch has an inspiration in nature and the natural world around me. Sometimes it is a shape I want to capture or maybe a bird or a beautiful Jasper cab inspires a picture, or a glorious Sunset over the sea. Whatever lifts thought above the mundane into beauty and creativity.

My jewellery has been in magazines and I have won contests. I also had three pieces accepted for the Ganoksin online exhibition Beauty Is In The Eye Of The Beholder

Misty Morning - a necklace I made for myself, Jasper shapes with peach & grey moonstone necklace. Inspired by an early morning walk to watch a family of swans some years ago (a magical moment I will always remember).


Flames - a flame agate cab with vintage Swarovski crystals tipping the flames and embellishing the chain. 



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Comments

I love your pairing of gemstones and polymer Jackie! Your work is beautiful. The last piece with the gold clay and the flame agate is especially stunning. Great job!