Today it’s my pleasure to introduce an artist who is not new to the polymer clay community, Amy Hucks. Amy is a self taught polymer clay artist who emerged on the scene several years ago with her caricature-like faces. She has a vivacious personality and is a joy. It’s my pleasure to introduce her to you today.
Meet Amy Hucks, Polymer Clay Sculptor
1) Tell us about yourself.
I love creating whimsical hand sculpted characters and creations. I am a self taught artist. As a young girl I reveled in spending time squishing Playdoh repeatedly in my hands and creating magical creatures. The smell of Playdoh is my favorite childhood memory! I transferred her love of Playdoh into sculpting fantastic polymer clay pieces.
I gather inspiration from sitting on my screened porch that faces a beautiful park. I observe daily life of the rich world around me cascade by. Then I draw upon my porch time bursting with a myriad ideas and release my inspired energy into creating whimsical masterpieces.
My favorite artists are Jim Henson, Edgar Allen Poe, Christie Friesen, and Dawn Schiller. I am a member of the Indiana Polymer Clay guild. My goal is to travel the world with her wife Jennifer and teach others the fun of polymer clay.
2) Tell our readers a little bit about the history of your art and how you got to where you are today.
I was looking for a creative out let to create some silly Halloween zombie finger pendants. My wife actually suggested polymer clay so off to the craft store we went to purchase a few colors. It was love at first squish! My childhood love of Playdoh came flooding back and off I went with this new fun medium.
3) Tell our readers what makes your art UNIQUE?
I am often asked “what kind of crazy dreams or nightmares do you have?” when my art pieces are looked at which I usually respond with “fun ones!” I have a love of whimsy, fantasy and try to look at ALL things around me as a possibility to inspire. From looking at an old shoe to touching a painting, their textures and angles just bring something out of me.
4) Tell us about where your art is created.
We live in a home built in 1921. It has a lot of its original wood and just breathes of its past to me. My wife and I are both artists and all our family & friends embrace that side of us, so our studios are right smack dab in our living room as you come into our home. Its messy, its cluttered but it is us living our art creations!
5) What’s your favorite thing to do with polymer clay? Why do you prefer that over all the other techniques and styles?
SCULPTING!!!!! Mostly faces or caricatures….I have tried caning and a few other techniques but I always seem to still want to add a face or personality to anything I create. I guess I see life in everything, even inanimate objects.
6) Tell our readers a little bit about your process. How does your art come about?
I draw inspiration or find something that sparks my creative bug and then beginning looking at more pictures, videos or items to see how I can take this idea and put my AMY stamp on it and then just start playing with the clay to see where it takes me. It may take me a few tries sometimes to get what I see or I may even fall in love with what is not exactly what I was going for but has been born on my studio table!
7) Tell our readers about your favorite items that you have created. Why is it your favorite(s)?
It is hard to answer what has been my favorite items created. I seem to fall in love with most of everything as I put so much of myself into each piece. I love making caricatures and seeing how the person reacts to seeing my version of them sculpted into clay. But I also really love creating a creature or character from just a spark of imagination.
8) Who is your polymer clay “idol?”
I have a few idols but my sculpting style completely changed when I came across an old tutorial by Dawn Schiller in a Polymer Clay magazine feature. She broke down the tutorial in a way that I could relate to and make it my own. It tapped my love of silly whimsy and just spoke volumes to me.
FIND AMY HERE:
Etsy * FaceBook * Flickr * Instagram
Amy is a teacher at the Polymer Clay Adventure for 2018. You can come and learn to sculpt Arlo’s Abode on a 64 ounce flask. Come and join her here.
Love your work Amy! So inspiring.