Dorothy Sweeney of Big Time Rock Show designs jewelry utilizing polymer clay and natural gemstones. Her creative talents bring mermaids and seahorses and a multitude of other nautical images to life. Dorothy lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and her work can be found on eBay.
How would you describe your artwork? I create original art jewelry from polymer clay, genuine gems, seashells, glass, silver and sometimes found objects. I have been doing a lot of figural sea and mermaid themed pieces, but can and will do other themes as well.
How long have you been creating art? This is only my second year of creating polymer art.
Describe your studio/workspace: Humble! My workspace is very small, like a phone booth. Most of the things I use are repurposed things from my home or thrift stores. My materials and my pasta press are the only new things.
How much time do you spend in your studio each week? 10 to 20 Hours.
What is the one tool you could not live without? The old steak knife I use to cut the clay.
Do you listen/watch media while you work? I have a playlist of 1920’s and 30’s jazz on my computer that I let play. Sometimes, I watch old black and white movies.
If you had an unlimited budget - what would you buy for your studio? Another room! Shelves! A new camera! Silk ribbon! More gems!
What is your favorite time of day to work? I think I do my best work in the early afternoon, but it usually works out that I work later in the evening.
How do you stay organized in your workspace? Big ziplock baggies (I hate ziplock baggies, so ugly), tho I am not sure how well that is working for me.
What kinds of inspiration do you have in your workspace? A self portrait of my late mother, who was a trained artist, to keep me company; my little mermaid fountain for luck; fashion magazines,which I crave like candy.
What are your creative plans for the future? Gotta get that silk ribbon! Its very expensive, and the prices I now fetch don’t permit this. But I think this might get me to another level. I have a cache of more expensive gemstones that I will start to use when the buying price gets to a reasonable level.
Tags: Big Time Rock Show, jewelry, mermaids, polymer clay, pwgl studio tour
