artist statement

Always an artist, I've explored a broad variety of media such as drawing, painting, photography, and several of the textile and fiber arts. The last few years, I've concentrated on polymer, metal clay, various silversmith skills, and creating art jewelry. I have a degree in Advertising Design from the University of Maryland, which led to a career as a graphic designer.

My art experience has been rich, not with any one medium, but in adding up what they all have to offer. Each has added to my sense of design and love of color, texture, and images...not to mention a jam-packed studio :)))

Life is an adventure, and there is so much left to do...see...try.
I’m looking forward to exploring, innovating, and continuing to share through artwork, demos, teaching and publishing.

Awards:

• Saul Bell Design Award Competition 2013, Finalist in the Metal Clay Category: view the piece
• Celebrating Beads 2008, Bead Museum, Washington, DC
  Finalist, Professional Clay category, Promenade

Publications:

• Clay Combinations (working title), by Cindy Silas, to be published by Lark Crafts, Spring 2014. The book will feature plenty of ways to connect and combine metal clay and polymer clay, plus inspiration from several worldwide artists.
• Metal Clay & Color, Inventive Techniques from 20 Jewelry Designers, a Kalmbach book by Mary Wohlgemuth. The book includes two projects by me titled Pushing Polymer and Enamel Illusions
• Art Jewelry Magazine, September '09: 3 Surprising Ways
  to Integrate Polymer clay & Metal clay
• The Art and Design of Metal Clay Jewelry and More
  Calendar 2009
• PMC Guild Annual, Volume 2. October 2008
• PMC Guild, Fusion #4, Artist Profile
• PolymerCAFÉ Magazine, June ’08, gallery

Affiliations and Activities:

• Presenter at PMC Conference, July 2010, Lafayette, IN
• Pre-conference teacher at Cabin Fever Clay Festival,
  Enamel Illusions one-day workshop, Saturday, Feb. 20, '10
• Presenter at Metal Clay World Conference, July 2009, Chicago, IL
• Rio Grande PMC certified
• PMC Guild, member
• Art Clay Society, member
• Virginia PMC Chapter (was Northern Virginia PMC Chapter), founding member and past Vice President
• International Polymer Clay Association (was National Polymer Clay Guild), Member-at-Large, '07 - '09
• Northern Virginia Polymer Clay Guild, Founder. Organized clayday '04 - '07
• Synergy I, part of the organization team for the NPCG conference held February ’08; designed the event catalog and t-shirt