clay beads by a UK artist called Emma Ralph
and I was just blown away! So I bought some
clay and a pasta machine, lots of tools and
books and taught myself to make polymer
clay beads. Shortly afterwards I found the
Art Bead Scene blog and was kinda in awe…
combining art with beads? Yay! I dabbled in
many different areas, polymer, metal clay,
metal smithing, patina’s etc. but always
wanted to try something new once I’d learnt
the basics. I figured it was ceramics or lampworking next, but having done some ceramics at college, I was kinda in familiar territory,
although I remembered hardly anything and
had never fired a kiln before, but I took the
leap and bought a kiln. I remember being
terrified the first time I fired it, like it would
explode and take my house with it…but it
was fine!
use textures but rarely use molds anymore,
unless they’re molds I’ve made from my own
sculpts. Faces are pretty hard to create on
such a small scale, but pretty interesting and
I like a challenge. I love doing my little animal
bead sets too, I don’t use molds for them,
they’re all sculpted one by one as they’re 3D
and my landscape pendants are great fun to
create and glaze too. Favourite colours and
finishes…anything weathered looking really.
I love the Picasso finish on Czech glass…so
any glazes that give me an old, worn look and
I’m hooked! Favourite colours…blues, greens
and browns probably, preferably a combination of all three!
You named your business “Grubbi” … What
inspired it?
It’s taken from the word “Grubby”, meaning
What are your favorite beads to create and do dirty or unkempt I guess, lol. I like stuff that
you have a favorite style/color/finish?
is a bit old and dilapidated looking, peeling
paint on buildings, old ruins, abandoned
I like to try new things, new techniques and
buildings, something with a bit of history to it
new glazes. Addicted to glazes! Layering
that has been worn away over time, anything
glazes and seeing how they turn out is prob
a bit grubby looking!
one of my favourite things! I also love sculpting…it’s so relaxing and I found I’m pretty
What inspires your work?
good at it! I love sculpting pendants…I still