About the Artist - Melanie West I live in the deep woods of Maine with my partner Tom, my teenage son, and three cats. We share the woods with moose, bob cats, fox and coyotes, lots of song birds, wild turkeys and of course, ravens! Which raises the question, why Raven's Clay? One might say the raven is my spirit guide. Watching them play in the sky above my home, they look like master acrobats. Listening to them while I play in my studio, I hear a huge range of sounds that are surely a complex language. In Heinrich Bernd's book, "Ravens in Winter", he describes ravens as intelligent, curious, playful, generous, and resourceful - all characteristics I strive to embody both in myself and in my work. SOLAR STUDIO We have chosen to live "off the grid" and I get immense pleasure telling folks that I have a Solar Studio. To the right is a photo of our home... my studio is on the lower left, with the large picture window. We try our best to minimize our carbon footprint, which isn't always easy. DOWN TO BUSINESS I have been playing with polymer clay for a little over five years. I've been a practicing artist, however, for most of my life. For 25 years I was a professional photographer. You can find my photo illustration on my photography site. I've also dabbled over the years in quilting, fabric painting, pen & ink illustration, and several other mediums. As polymer clay artists go I'm a bit of a nube, having worked with clay for about five years, but my polymer clay work is now included in collections around the world, from Japan to Spain, Switzerland to Canada. My work can be found in several stores along the coast of Maine: Yo Mamma, Belfast, ME Maine Gathering, Camden, ME Heavenly Socks, Belfast, ME Sara Johnson's Quilts, Belfast, ME My work can be seen in Sarajane Helm and Judith Skinner's book, "Adapting Quilt Patterns To Polymer Clay", and will be in three up coming books later this year: The Art of Polymer Clay Millefiori Techniques, by Donna Kato Polymer Clay Mixed Media Jewelry, by Shirley Rufener The Art of Polymer Clay Masks, by Sarajane Helm If this isn't enough information and you'd like to know more about me, just send me an email!   Web site, its content and all images copyright © 2006 Melanie West. All rights reserved.