Meet Teresa Pandora Salgado

It’s my pleasure and joy today to introduce you to a polymer clay artist who is no stranger to the polymer clay community, Teresa “Pandora” Salgado. In fact we’ve had Teresa here before on the blog. [Click HERE to read Teresa’s Top Five] Teresa is a truly warm and special person. I met Teresa several years ago online through FaceBook and other online events we shared in together. Teresa is down to earth and approaches claying with a carefree attitude that is refreshing. Teresa is an accomplished artist and writes for Polymer Café Magazine, a member of the Sculpey Design Squad, has taught for 2 years at the Polymer Clay Adventure, is a teacher on Curious.com and many, many more.

Tell Us About Yourself

I’m a native Californian and a Granny of 5 boys. I live in Indiana with my boyfriend, Spike, whom I’ve known for 38 years.

I fell in love with millefiori in 2010 when a friend showed me a book about polymer clay.  I taught myself to cane by practicing six hours a day, seven days a week.  It’s my nature to lock on to something that interests me, and caning never fails to get my attention. I still make cane every day. After about 3 years, I was persuaded to make a video. The video did well; so I made a few more. (My videos have been seen in 151 countries with nearly a million views.) Shortly thereafter I started receiving offers to teach on pay sites and write magazine articles about caning.

I’ve now had my work on two covers of Polymer Café magazine, I teach on YouTube and I’m a designer on Polyforms’s elite Sculpey Design Squad. Astonishing luck!

What’s the History of Your Art and How Did it Grow to What It Is Today?

If I had to say why my art is unique, I’d say it’s because my caning consists of a strange combination of abandon and precision. I like to radically alter the canes throughout the construction. I call it “Pandorafication”. I also like to sculpt with cane, a process I named “scayning” (sculpting + caning).

Where Do You Create Your Art?

My studio is in my bedroom. I have a single bed and the rest of the room is all worktable, computers, video equipment and storage shelves.

What’s Your Favorite Thing to Do with Clay?

Millefiori will always be number one with me. The Great Christi Friesen once told me, “I think caning appeals to your sense of order”. That sums it up perfectly.

Explain Your Process.

Most of my non-caned projects, like my steampunk hourglass, phone dock and wind chimes, and my potion bottle amulets, are the result of vivid dreams. I’ve dreamed like that since childhood and I always try to make the visions come to life. I’m superstitious about it, as if the dreams will stop coming if I don’t create them.

What is Your Favorite Piece You’ve Created?

I’m fickle about which items are my favorites. It changes when I make something new; but I do love the La Muerte sculpture I made after I saw Book of Life. I think it’s my favorite because, even though I’m sculpture-challenged, my BF fell in love with it. I gave it to him for his birthday.

One of my dreams brought me the cheese dome lamp.  I dreamed about a millefiori lamp that looked like a cake stand with a cover and the cane was very middle eastern in gold, crimson, yellow and brown. When I woke up I made the cane and I really liked it; but I didn’t have any idea what I would actually use for the lamp. It’s not like I had a cake stand laying around.  Later I remembered I had a cheese dome so I caned up the dome and then drilled the base to install a light socket. You may see it on the Fire Mountain Gems website, where it made the finals.

Who Is Your Polymer Clay Idol?

Christi Friesen is my idol. I’ve taken two classes in my life and they were both with Christi. She is a generous woman who shares her art and her love with clayers around the world.

 

 

 

 

Find Teresa Here:

YouTube * FaceBook

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Thanks for joining me today,

Until next time, Happy Claying my friends!

 

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