Crothers’ feat of clay well grounded in art

Debbie Crothers has always been interested in arts and crafts but it wasn’t until the early 2000s that she found an art medium she could really get stuck into.

In 2001, Crothers’ son — who is now 18 — was given a packet of polymer clay, a man-made modelling substance that hardens in the oven.

While the pair played with it briefly, the intriguing clay stuck in the back of her mind, until Crothers bought a block from a school supply catalogue.

“I got some to try and fell in love with it. I love working with this medium in particular because you can do so much with it, it never gets boring for me,” she said.

“There’s always something new and exciting to explore, and I guess I like that side of things.

“A bit of alchemy in the studio gets me really excited.”

By combining different coloured bits of polymer clay, Crothers is able to create stunning pieces which she transforms into wearable art.

Working with a relatively new art medium, Crothers has become a pioneer for polymer clay, running workshops and tutorials not just in the Mid West but around the world.

In 2017, Crothers will embark on a week-long cruise around Hawaii where she will teach alongside other polymer clay creators from around the world.

Crothers was also one of the judges for the Polymer Journeys book, which covers what’s been happening in the polymer world.

While the artist enjoys creating tribal-inspired pieces, her workshops end up dictating how a piece will turn out.

“It depends on what I’m doing as to where the inspiration comes from,” she said.

“With the cruise project we’re looking at a Hawaii theme, so we were adding crushed shells and little frangipani petals.

“I like to try all sorts of stuff and a lot of mine isn’t necessarily making to sell, it’s making to create for a class.”

While running workshops for several years in the Mid West, Crothers discovered that polymer clay had therapeutic benefits thanks to its almost instant results. “For me it’s not really about creating art, it’s about what goes with it and what else I can do with it,” she said.

“That whole art therapy is really important for me, I recently did a workshop with the Flexible Learning kids, that was pretty awesome.

“They’re high-trauma kids that can’t cope with mainstream school and they just loved it, it was instant and they could do it really quickly.”

Although Crothers has already cemented herself as a leader in the polymer clay world, she admits there’s so much more to explore in the craft.

“It’s always evolving,” she said.

“Just playing and coming up with new techniques and new designs.

“That keeps me excited and keeps me wanting to do more.”