Polymer Clay 2 - 5000 hours.

It is said that it takes around 5000 hours to become an expert at anything..... with around 30 hours under my belt I have a long journey to travel, I have arrived at this point 5 years into my 10 year plan, the next 5 years therefore is all about clocking up the hours.
My first sculpture now in its unfinished state will remain on my shelf as a reminder, not only of my first attempt but also 'how not to do it', though it looks ok up close and personal there are more errors than I have fingers to count, burnt sections of polymer, mismatched colours and bad tile creation, it all started off so well but soon learned that to not make enough of a particular design will lead to dissaster, at least until I am knowledgeable enough to reproduce accurate colour and technique.

Burnt Clay and Uneven surfaces affecting the overall form, though the burn is only ''skin deep'' no amount of sanding will remedy the chunks missing after sticking to the oven floor 

mismatched colour and pattern caused by not making sufficient tiles of a single design


For this first year I will concentrate on textures and design technique and will simply have fun making whatever it is that falls into my mind and will serve as a lesson, only then will I be able to commit fully to great biomorphic forms leaving me a full four years to put together a great body of work.

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A Quiet Return It’s been a few years since anything new appeared on this blog. No dramatic exit, no crisis, no grand story — just life unfolding in its own quiet way while I wandered off into a long stretch of creative exploration. I didn’t spend that time chasing expectations or trying to produce anything impressive. In fact, it was the opposite. I let myself make things without pressure, without anticipation, and without any need for an audience. It was a good kind of absence — the sort that gives you space to breathe and rediscover what you enjoy. Along the way, painting slipped out of my hands. Not abandoned in frustration, just… released. It had carried me through many chapters, but eventually it felt like a language I’d said enough in. So I turned to sculpture, almost by accident, and found myself on a long, meandering tour through every material within reach. Papier‑mâché came first — messy, forgiving, and strangely liberating.Foam followed, stubborn but full of possibility.Cardboard had its moment too, proving far more architectural than I expected. Each material taught me something different about form, weight, and patience. And then, gradually, I settled into polymer clay. It felt right — structured but flexible, expressive without demanding perfection. It opened a new path, and with it came another journey: exploring genre, tone, and character in ways paint never quite allowed. So yes, I’ve been away. But not idle.Just quietly occupied in the kind of creative work that doesn’t need announcing. Now the blog returns — not as a relaunch, not as a promise, but simply as a continuation. A place to share what I’ve been shaping, learning, and enjoying along the way. If you’ve found your way back here too, welcome. Let’s see where this next chapter leads.

Polymer Clay 01

grounding