Today we’d like to introduce you to Deb Hart.
Deb, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I’ve always been creative. Growing up on a farm in Minnesota, you learn appreciation for beauty in all the nature that surrounds you. I started out with drawing, painting, and sculpture – anything I could get my hands on. In high school, I discovered photography as well and explored that into college where I helped tutor the photography lab and organize the school yearbooks.
Life after college became more about raising my family and all the social networking that happens when kids come into your life. I spent a time doing mosaic cut paper graphic pieces with a colorful MC Escher like style, but most of it took a back stage to helping run different organizations. Though I held many positions in the organizations, my creativity steered me toward running different artistic groups within the organization that met to create monthly projects. I discovered polymer clay while looking for new, innovative art projects for those groups.
Since discovering polymer clay, my interest in it as an art form has grown. I was fascinated with polymer clay because of the concept of millefiori canes – where you create images in a log of clay that can be sliced and used in jewelry, sculptures, vessels, or other creations. I started out with making face canes and picture canes and as my skill progressed, I grew to make more complex canes. When I started teaching, I took a step back to grow classes to teach simple millefiori technique. In doing so, I discovered new ways of using simple canes in complex ways that has become the signature of my Southwestern style creations.
My work now consists of sculptures, boxes, and vessels with intricate Southwestern patterns make from many polymer clay millefiori canes. People often ask if they’re painted and look at me with huge eyes as I tell them that all the patterns are sculpted into the clay. The versatility of polymer clay as a media is amazing and fascinating at the same time. It’s been such an honor to be a part the emergence of this relatively new artistic media as a fine art form.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Unfortunately, my path – like so many other artists’ paths – has not been a smooth one. I dream of the day when that is not the case and people can reach their potential with love and support. I escaped from an abusive relationship only to find that my ex had convinced my teenage children to allow him to copy my house keys. Someone who had access to my home then installed a trojan on my computer to allow access to my accounts, email, and even the camera on my computer. I chose to move to Dallas to take myself away from the fear, abuse, and stalking. In many ways, the choices I made because of the bad situation I faced brought me to the success I’ve had now, though there are still many painful situations that I have to endure because of my choice. Only time will heal them all.
My advice. Don’t be the victim of silence. Too many times, victims are asked why they never told anyone. As wives and mothers, we’re conditioned to not think of ourselves. When faced with abuse, my first thoughts weren’t for my own well-being, they were for my children. If I told what I was going through, who would let their children come over to play or who would invite my children to their home. What would happen to my partner’s job or business if everyone knew? Would my family feel uncomfortable visiting? Could I tell any of these people about what was happening without being isolated? And when I did leave, I did feel isolated – though in hindsight it was mostly because of my own pain and the strange sense of shame that goes along with being a victim. Talk to people, write about what happened, take pictures, join a support group. And learn! Research articles on what you’re going through and how to handle it. Get a book about it and when you feel like crying, read it aloud. Remind yourself daily of who you are and revel in your goodness. Do anything that takes you away from being isolated. You will find those who treat you like something is wrong with you and avoid you. Some are not strong enough to face what you’ve gone through and you become a mirror of their own insecurities. Don’t let those people keep you from reaching out to others. I spent many years that I’d love to have back simply licking my own wounds like an injured dog. Now, I realize that my pain drove me down a path to become who I was meant to be.
There are still challenges. My husband is in kidney failure and every day brings a new challenge. But I have friends, family, and a support group and know that whatever I know have to face will bring me to a place where – at the least – I have the knowledge to help others and in helping others make new friends and – at the most – I will discover new things about myself to grow as a person and an artist. Like a sword, we are stronger for the fire we are tempered in.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Deb Hart Polymer Designs – what should we know?
I sculpt and teach polymer clay millefiori art. Polymer Clay comes in many colors and is made by several companies. The clay I use specifically is Kato Polyclay made by Van Aken International in South Carolina. Though there are a wide variety of different techniques, the technique I specialize in is millefiori. Many associate the term millefiori – which means literally “a thousand flowers” – with the beautiful ornamental blown glass paperweights. In glass, the artist creates patterns and flowers with rods of different colored glass. The patterns are then used to create beautiful patterned works of art. The process is the same with polymer clay. I create various patterns in the clay by blending and sculpting the clay. The resulting rod of clay has a pattern that goes through the length that can be sliced and used to decorate jewelry, sculptures, containers, and other objects. The rod of clay is called a ‘cane.’
I use the polymer clay millefiori canes to create intricate patterns and designs – often with a Southwestern or Native American influence. The patterns are then filled with a faux stone technique – turquoise, red coral, or other stones – to create my signature style.
Currently, my work is on display at two galleries. You can find a variety of different pieces, including many of my jewelry designs at Art House in Highlands Ranch. The address is:
6100 Long Prairie Rd #800,
Flower Mound, TX 75028
I also teach classes in beginning polymer clay art through Art House.
I am currently displaying several pieces at the Tower Gallery. The address is:
636 S. Main St.
Grapevine, TX 76051
The Tower Gallery Exhibition is through the Grapevine Art Project (http://grapevineartproject.com) and is open from April 6-26, 2018.
If you’re interested in exploring polymer clay as an art form, I also have many tutorials available on my site and on ETSY at https://www.etsy.com/shop/DebHartPolymerDesign.
We’re interested to hear your thoughts on female leadership – in particular, what do you feel are the biggest barriers or obstacles?
The #metoo movement has shown just how powerful women can be. Women have come a long way in the workplace and also in the arts, but sexual harassment and abuse are still one of the main barriers for women. It creates fear, it stifles self-esteem, and it creates an environment of shame where women learn to be silent and hide rather than lead and grow. It is inspiring to see issues of sexual harassment and abuse being taken seriously and to see consequences come to those that have created so very many victims. The next step is to address this issue in the home. Men becoming sexual predators is a symptom of the silence that exists when sexual abuse goes unchecked and unreported in marriages and relationships. Young men = who start out as victims as well – learn to treat women as objects by the harassment, abuse, and inequity they observe in their home. In many states, marital rape is not even recognized and women are conditioned to be ashamed and keep silent. In my opinion, marriage equity is one of the biggest barriers to female leadership. Not only does it create an environment where boys grow into men who are insecure about a strong women and feel the need to harass and subjugate, but it also creates a silence that women have to overcome to embrace their own voices and feeds other inequities – such as child rearing, household chores, money management, etc. The path for female leadership is the path that we all wish – to grow up and live in an environment of support where we learn early on to work together toward a common purpose in all things.
Pricing:
- * Animal Sculptures – $700-$2000
- *Sea Turtle Boxes – $100-$300
- *Totem Box Sets – $300-$400/set
- *Jewelry – $50 – $250
Contact Info:
- Website: www.debhart.net
- Email: debhart@debhart.net
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/debhart/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/debhart
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/rengalsa
- Other: https://www.etsy.com/your/shops/DebHartPolymerDesign
Image Credit:
Deb Hart
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