Thumbprints Artwear jewelry is made from a polymer clay called Fimo. Fimo is not really a clay in the traditional sense, but a colored polyvinyl chloride. It is soft and malleable at room temperature and is hardened and fused permanently with heat. It can be shaped like clay, carved like wood, buffed like stone and layered like glass.

The intricate patterns, colors, and pictures of my designs are created using a technique similar to ancient glass millefiore canes. "Caning" refers to a log with a pattern running through it's length (click here to see a picture demo of caning). I build my designs by blending and layering colored polymer clays together to form a picture or pattern working from the center on out. This enables me to create a painting with my clay by mixing many shades of color and layering them to create a realistic design. I make my designs very large in order to capture an amazing amount of detail. I then turn the log over and roll it until it becomes smaller. The design inside compresses, but remains intact and, when sliced, becomes a miniature masterpiece. Although it can sometimes take weeks to complete one cane, I am able to get dozens of jewelry of art pieces from one design. These become limited editions.

Slices of the design can be used alone as ornate beads of combined to embellish larger beads or sculptures. These beads or sculptures become one-of -a-kind pieces, each one becoming a unique expression of my vision as an artist.