Phyllis has been sculpting for about 5 years. She first sculpted a mermaid
to see if she could really sculpt. "I still have her and she is the only sculpt
I have of my work. I then sculpted my first fairy as a gift to my Granddaughter.
My second fairy I sculpted a few months later and sold her on eBay.
That was on Nov. 15, 2004. I have been sculpting and selling on eBay ever since.
I just listed my 197th sculpt on eBay. I feel I am still so new in this OOAK community
and have so much growing to do. That is the excitement of it all".
"I am mostly self-taught. I bought a book by Katherine Dewey called, Creating Life-Like Figures in Polymer Clay. To this day I call it my sculpting Bible! I also ordered CD’s on sculpting from Patricia Rose and Wendy Froud. I bought reference books on the human body and studied them. I am still studying them today".
I will give my Mentor to Wendy Froud. Back in the early 90’s I found a photo of a fairy she had sculpted in a doll magazine and my heart stopped beating for a few seconds. I was blown away. She opened a door for me that I never knew existed.
Then I found the OOAK’s on Ebay and cried! I had found my world.
Now as for favorite artist I have so many… Once We Were Faeries, CBC Studio, Jan Morgan, Deb Wood, Nadiia, Whispers in the Woods, The Mist Weavers Realm, Fairies & Dreams, Painting the Clouds, and so many more.
Phyllis does have a rather odd habit while sculpting, she told me"Sometimes I will wear two or three pairs of sculpting glasses at one time to get a closer look at what I am doing. My family always teases me about it".
What helps Phyllis get in the mood for sculpting? " I am always in the mood. I love what I do so much that it is all I think about. I run to my studio after dinner so I can get my hands in the clay".
What are her favorite pieces and what inspires her? "They all are. I love each and every one I have made. They each have their own little personality and are such a part of me. I feel they are like my children as I have given birth to them. If I could choose to have one back it would be Champaign. She was the first sculpt that literally just took my breath away when I finished her. I knew then I was hooked. I had found a new love in my life".
"I get inspiration in just about everything. I love watching people. Children, photos, paintings, fabrics, movies, music, just anything can spark my muse. When I shop my mind is constantly thinking of them. I go shopping for myself and end up shopping for them! I even think of them in the grocery store".
Phyllis will often watch movies on her computer or listen to audio books as she works. Sometimes she may listen to music and says she loves to work mostly at night.
"I am a night sculptor. I do sculpt during the day on the weekends, but I love the peace and quite in the late evenings".
"I sculpt with Poppen Fimo . I have also used Prosculpt, but Fimo is what I use now. I sculpt and bake in stages and find I have better luck with the Poppen. I also use Genesis heat set paints on the clay. If I dress a fairy in Mulberry paper for her outfit, then I will use acrylic paint. I love using mohair for them. I have tried synthetic too, but I love the feel of mohair and the curl you can get with it for styling".
Does she have any advice for new artists?
"I would tell them to use all the references they can get and really study the human form. Have lots of patients and practice. Have your work critiqued and learn from it. I did and I am so glad. My Son’s also critique all my work and they both lay it on the line. There are many times they see something I do not".