Polymer clay artist Barbara Hanson will be featured at the Blue Sea Artisans Gallery in the Kona International Market in September. The self-taught artist has worked in the medium for nearly 30 years.
Polymer clay artist Barbara Hanson will be featured at the Blue Sea Artisans Gallery in the Kona International Market in September. The self-taught artist has worked in the medium for nearly 30 years.
Hanson moved to Hawaii in 1991 and started Omodt Art Designs. She was a resident artist for 18 years at the Kona Village Resort, until being displaced by the March 2011 tsunami. Hanson previously had a gallery at the King Kamehameha Mall. Hanson features her polymer clay art in galleries and shops islandwide. Drawing inspiration from Hawaiian culture and her family, Hanson strives to create jewelry and art that is fun to wear and reminiscent of time spent in Hawaii.
Hanson’s polymer clay designs are made by “cane working,” layering multiple colors and shapes of clay to produce a cylinder in which the pattern runs through.
After the cane is built, she reduces and elongates it. She slices it horizontally, revealing the design, then fires each piece to create a unique piece of art. Hanson incorporates semiprecious stones, glass, seeds, shells, nuts and pearls in her jewelry and art.
A reception for the artist is slated from 1 to 4 p.m. Sept. 14 at the Blue Sea Artisans Gallery. The gallery is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. For more information, call 329-8000.