Fiona Abel-smith

I love art! In all its shapes and forms, and more than that, I love to create art. I can not think of a time in my life when I have not been creating something or other, even when it was just as a hobby. It is something that makes me happy, deep down, and I hope that comes through in the art I produce.

As a generally happy artist, that feeling is what I try to convey in my creations. Nothing more, nothing less, my hope is that people like what they see and touch, and that makes them happy too.

These days I try and restrict myself to two main artistic mediums and am an internationally award-winning Polymer Clay artist, who also paints in oils. I have exhibited internationally and am lucky enough to have both my polymer clay art, and my paintings held in private collections in several countries.

In Polymer Clay, I specialise in Cane Work, the technique where a complex pattern of shapes and colours is created within the clay itself. Sometimes I create Kaleidoscope patterns, sometimes images. This technique takes great skill and a lot of time to perfect, and I use it in my sculptures, containers, polymer pictures and jewellery.

In my colourful oil paintings, I cover a wide variety of subject matter, from landscapes (imagined and real) to flowers, still life, seascapes and animals. Most of my inspiration comes from nature and the world around me, with a particular passion for nature.

I have been a committee member for both the British Polymer Clay Guild and the International Polymer Clay Association and I also co-run a local Polymer Clay group, in the village of Hanslope, Buckinghamshire, UK.

In late 2017 I opened my Etsy shop, and began creating free Video tutorials on line to pass on some of my polymer techniques, through my YouTube channel (PolyOriginals). I love to share Polymer with others and am a regular demonstrator for the British Guild at the NEC for some of the big craft shows held there in the UK.

While I have taught both oil painting and Polymer Clay workshops in the past, I am now concentrating on reaching a wider audience through the internet and social media. However, the personal experience of meeting people at venues like the Northants Open Studios and representing the Guild, is for me a real pleasure, and there is nothing I like more than sharing some tips and techniques in the hope to inspire others to begin their own artistic journey.