Polymer Clay Art II

Polymer clay in its present consistency has not been around for very long; only for a few decades. Therefore, it has only been for a few decades as well that it has been used for hobbies and crafts.

Polymer clay finds its origin in Bakelite, an early plastic which was used in both practical and decorative applications. During WW II, it became very hard to lay your hands on those plastics.

In the late 1930s, a new plastic modeling compound was brought to the attention of German doll maker Kathe Kruse, who turned it over to her daughter Maureen who was nicknamed "Fifi" and the name FIMO is derived from and in honor of her; FIfi's MOdeling Compound.

In 1967, Sculpey was sold as a hobby and craft clay in the United States by the Zenith Products Company.

Zenith had originally formulated Sculpey for potential use as a thermal transfer compound to conduct heat away from the cores of electrical transformers.

That didn't work and after being set aside for many years, a visitor accidently discovered that it was great for creating figurines. Nowadays, many creative projects are being made from Polymer clay and this form of art is on display in many Museums.

I am not sure what would come out of my hands when this clay winds up in them. I intend to find out though! :-)