Materials: Activ-clay, vine, textile remnants, glass beads, gold leaf, acrylic and watercolor
Artist: Randi Jean Veiberg, Raleigh, NC 27615
Website: http://www.earthfabric.com
Bio: I was born in upstate New York but have lived in Raleigh, North Carolina since 1969. I am an accomplished painter and sketch artist and spent several years behind a computer designing marketing materials and Internet tools. I have since graduated the Central Carolina Community College's Professional Arts & Crafts Sculpture Program with my AS degree. In moving from two-dimensional work to learning and understanding how to accomplish my ideas in three-dimensions - whether clay or metal - I have been able to add greater depth and conviction to my work and feel I have come fully into my realm. My figurative ceramic work ranges from near reality to "sculptureal".
I came across Activ-Cay while searching for a product with which I could continue my 3D artwork while confined by the fact I have no studio space. I found Activ-Clay to be good sculpting clay I was able to work over a two-week period - keeping it moist and covered - the hardness it attained when dry was a pleasant find. After protectively covering the glass bead eyes with a coat of petroleum jelly, I sealed it with an outdoor acrylic spray paint as a base, and finished piece with craft paint, watercolor and gold leaf.
The only disappointment was my oversight in not keeping in mind the shrink-factor. It would be helpful for me to do a shrink test before I begin the next sculpture. (I formed this sculpture over florist foam and it cracked incredibly while drying - luckily, I am an old hand with water putty and you cannot tell where I patched the many, many fissures.)