Diane Villano

I started working with polymer clay in 1995 and in search of other clay-buddies, co-founded and was first president of the Southern Connecticut Polymer Clay Guild and I'm currently serving the National Polymer Clay Guild as President. I work full-time as a computer programmer and draw upon my Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Art Education in my spare time when I teach locally in New England and nationally, such as Bead & Button's annual conference, the country's largest consumer bead show.

I specialize in pushing the envelope with polymer. My sculpture series, Big Beads, is an exploration of recreating traditional bead forms in exaggerated scale. The challenge is to employ polymer as the structural support as well as decorative elements. The skills I've learned from working on that series enabled me to create "Victorian Aero Dream", this hot air balloon ornament. Most of my sculptures are well over 4" in each direction and can be seen in "Polymer Clay Creative Traditions", by Judy Belcher, Lark Book's "400 Designs: A Collection of Dynamic & Colorful Contemporary Work "Faux Surfaces in Polymer Clay", by Irene Semanchuk Dean, "Polymer Clay & Papier Mache", Bead Dreams Magazine (collector's edition, published by Bead & Button magazine), "Polymer: The Chameleon Clay" by Victoria Hughes, and "Making Beautiful Beads" by Suzanne J. E. Tourtillott as well as exhibited in national and international juried shows.