It's not really a surprise that Celie Fago grew up to become an artist. Just look at her family: Her father was editor of Marvel Comics and still illustrates comic books. Her mother was director of the Arts and Crafts Service of Vermont, a now-defunct state agency, and for many years has been a painter and writer. Her brother is a professional photographer. Art was apparently in the genes and definitely part of the family's culture.
The surprise for Celie is that her medium ended up being a product derived from polyvinyl chloride. It's the same stuff as PVC piping, but is transformed into an artist's medium by the addition of a plasticizer.
Invented by Eberhard Faber, it is known as polymer clay, or "Fimo." It's one of the newest and fastest-growing artistic media today, and Celie is known as a major innovator in the field.
Unexpected Path to the Arts
"We all find our paths in interesting ways," Celie says. "I think I've found the medium that will satisfy me for the rest of my life."
While in her 20s, Celie trained horses and traveled around the world. She studied in the departments of Art History and Painting from the Massachusetts College of Art, and worked happily for many years painting and sculpting. However, in her early 40s she developed a chronic illness which forced her to find another mode of expression.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome meant that she no longer had the energy to keep a large home, and sensitivity to chemicals required that she avoid paint fumes. Now she lives in a cozy cottage, where her studio space is ten feet away from her bed.
Celie's home is a place where life and art are inseparable. Charms, beads and textiles from her world travels are in little drawers everywhere. Retro icons adorn the walls. Her Italian Greyhound, Indalee (which means "Woman of Great Power"), wears a colorful scarf around her neck. Even her poodle has panache.
One gets the sense of not just a studio, but a creative laboratory, with new ideas bubbling up everywhere. Since polymer clay is such a new medium, there aren't a lot of manuals from which to learn. Many lessons come through experimentation and word of mouth.
The polymer clay community possesses a self-conscious attitude of sharing ideas, techniques and information, problem solving together and making sure that those who need help get it.
Aside from The New Clay, a book by Nan Roche, there is no manual, and although it is a great book with which to get started, it is hard for any book to stay current given the rapid changes in polymer clay techniques. The newest techniques are taught by a nationwide network of workshops, offered by each state or area polymer clay guild.
Pushing the Creative and Technical Boundaries
Most discoveries in polymer clay come from applying methods borrowed from other media. One of Celie's most successful experiments has been with "mokume gane," an ancient Japanese metalworking technique in which various metals are fused together. The layers are deformed and then the surface is sanded away, revealing an exotic blend of colors and textures.
Celie uses the same method, but with thin layers of polymer clay and gold leaf. With the help of special homemade tools, Celie presses patterns into the clay. Then she uses a sharp, thin blade to slice away translucent, multi-hued veneers. This is only one of many ancient techniques that Celie uses in making her contemporary creations.
Often, Celie invents her own process. She discovered, for instance, an easier way to make a "bicone," a bead shape that resembles two cones with attached bases. All it takes is a piece of glass, patience and the correct arm motion. In carving her intricate, crosshatched line designs, she has adopted a Zen trick: coordinating her breathing with her motions.
"We're more limited by our imaginations than by the medium," she says. "Even when I'm not working, I'm thinking about it. There is something completely absorbing about the medium."
Much of the jewelry made during the first 30 years of polymer clay's history features geometric patterns and primary colors. By contrast, Celie's work appears more organic in form and color. For instance, she has perfected the technique used for the imitation of natural materials such as jade and ivory.
Strong Public Accolades
Anne Majusiak, gallery manager at the Vermont State Craft Center at Frog Hollow in Middlebury, Vt., still recalls the day Celie brought her work to be considered for inclusion in the gallery. "She blew us away at the jury," she says. "She was doing things with polymer clay that we hadn't seen before. She's the sort of artist we knew would continue to evolve, and in many ways, she's exceeded our expectations."
Celie's jewelry is exotic in its combination of ethnic silver components with accomplished carving and inlay work. While her carved images echo the most elegant cave paintings, her work has a modern luster and precision.
"Polymer clay is unique in that it contains both color and form in one medium," she says. "That allows for lots of exciting experimentation using skills already
developed by painting and sculpture."
Celie is particularly proud of her completely unique contribution, the creation of an entire set of elegantly detailed hand tools with a range of uses.
"I don't think most people understand the number of steps required to make a finished piece," Majusiak says. "But anyone who has ever worked in polymer clay is just overwhelmed by Celie's work."
While certain shapes and patterns continually appear in Celie's work, each piece is essentially one of a kind. And although it is clear that she is thrilled at the prospect of making jewelry for the rest of her life, she also ponders new projects like lampshades, vessels, boxes and sculpture.
What is universally appreciated in the polymer clay community is Celie's skill as a metalsmith, and the way she combines metal work with polymer: handmade Etruscan chains, sterling and brass details, and sterling settings all contribute to the fineness of her work.
"Every time she makes a delivery of her work to the gallery, we run to see what she's come up with," Majusiak says. "You keep thinking she's hit the pinnacle, but she keeps outdoing herself. I am just in awe of her."
Celie Fago's work is sold in Vermont at Frog Hollow galleries in Burlington, Middlebury and Manchester. For more information, call toll-free (888) 388-3177.
Kirt Zimmer writes from Middlebury, Vt.
Exploring 'The New Clay'