I absolutely love making functional art that people can actually use and enjoy around their homes (even my own!). I work with all kinds of Aves products, but Apoxie Sculpt is my go-to.
Hi, I’m Erin! I live in Wisconsin with my husband, our three awesome kids, and our mischievous Beagle, Scout. I’ve been a freelance artist for about 10 years, and during that time, I’ve traveled all over the U.S. teaching art techniques using epoxy clays.
My work has been featured in several magazines—mostly focused on repairing ceramic pieces, garage kits, and statues—and I even got to appear on the PBS show Make It Artsy with some of my Aves Clay creations! Let me tell you about one of my favorite projects, to date, is a mythical-themed, light-up fish bowl that I made for the Make It Artsy filming.
I made four claw feet and attached them to a base to hold a vintage square glass bowl as my tank. The claws were actually inspired by an antique table I found at a local thrift shop—lol, that’s what sparked the whole idea! I used a product called Knead-A-Mold on the antique table foot—pressed it on, waited about 10 minutes, and ended up with a perfect, reusable claw foot mold. I filled that mold with Apoxie Sculpt to create each claw for this one-of-a-kind custom fish bowl. The base is built from tinfoil and Apoxie Sculpt, with other press molds used to form additional Apoxie Sculpt scroll details. I do all of my work on a clay mat from Aves—it’s a large silicone mat that keeps your tools in place and lets your epoxy clay pieces cure right on it. They just peel off when they’re done—game changer! (Goodbye, ziplock baggies!) To get that vintage, aged look, I used a mix of Metal Finishes and Tiffany Patina by Sculpt Nouveau—also available through Aves Clay! To finish this piece off there is a super cool light feature underneath! The bowl is fully removable for easy cleaning, and let me tell you—this piece is definitely a showstopper, and my Betta fish loves it. Here is the video on Make it Artsy of the filming (not the same bowl I made for them on set but the same concept):
I absolutely love making functional art that people can actually use and enjoy around their homes (even my own!). I work with all kinds of Aves products, but Apoxie Sculpt is my go-to. It’s super strong, easy to shape, and perfect for the kind of detailed, lasting work I love to do. My goal is always to create pieces that are not only beautiful but built to stand the test of time.
