The Art of Polymer Clay – Creative Inspiration

Ideas for polymer clay art can come from even the most unlikely places:

Although this photo looks like a modern art painting, it is actually a close-up of the sun-baked windshield on a paint splattered car!

My husband took this cool photo last year while the family was visiting a local fair. It is a shot of the windshield of a car which was part of a public art project.

Fair goers were given the opportunity to become public artists by painting the outside of several cars and trucks brought in for the project. There were a variety of styles and vintages that you could paint on. Being a 'cool' family, we opted to paint on the retro 60's VW Van.

Because the windshield glass got hot in the sun, the paint bubbled and twisted. It was also a hard-to-reach spot on the vehicle, so the painting technique in this area was more like random splatters rather than planned artwork. And because people kept adding to it as the fair went on, the painting changed, and metamorphosed.

Not only are the colors and the textures of this artwork inspiring to me, but the idea of the artwork itself, shifting and changing is a concept I just love!

Some of the ways this picture inspires me as a polymer clay artist is the color combinations; the randomness of the patterns; and the texture of the paint.

I could see mokume gane canes made with colors like these. I could see sheets of clay with ripped off bits of color added, then texturized with crumpled up paper. I can see a crackle finish added to a set of pastel metallic beads. I can also see each of the colors separated and made into a set of beads with a beachy feel to them.

I'm sure I'm not the only one that sees the art of polymer clay in unlikely places. If you have an inspirational story about your polymer clay art works, please do share it below. I'd love to hear it.