Often color theory is vague, confusing, and sometimes wrong. In this fast-paced workshop, conduct experiments using polymer clay to test the good, the bad, and the ugly results of applying typical color theory. Nothing is sacred as centuries of information are challenged. Learn new and better ways to use color effectively.

Learn how to get beautiful watercolor-like effects with overlapping colors of polymer clay. Start by mixing a collection of deep, rich colors. Then use a variety of techniques and inclusions to make a color-coordinated collection of very thin “watercolor” sheets that evoke the feeling of sky, water, mountains, fields and forests. Experiment with different ways to use these sheets to collage an abstracted landscape, then turn your favorite scene into a gorgeous pendant with matching beads.

Learn from two nationally recognized colorists why the “rules” as they are outlined in many color reference books rarely provide satisfactory results. Discover how to use the three properties of color, hue, value and saturation to your advantage and increase your color confidence. Day one will explore color likes and dislikes and de-mystify the vocabulary of color. Learn custom-mixing of pigment primaries using polymer clay, and mixing to match colors. The second day will show how the three properties of color change when proportion, juxtaposition and surface are consciously adjusted. Create a mirror frame that captures the unique color scheme you have designed.

See a variety of patterning and texturing techniques including how to transform drawings from storybooks into stylized, incised designs. All the steps involved in Maggie Maggio’s unique method for making vessels out of solid clay will be demonstrated.