Made in Donegal, Ireland
My name is Fiona Herbst and I live with my husband and a menagerie of animals in the townland of Portlean, a picturesque rural location in Co. Donegal, Ireland. I have four children.
Art and creativity has always been part of my life. Both my parents and grandparents were dedicated collectors of fine art. Although I always wanted to go to art college, I was directed towards a more ‘sensible’ choice of career, my other interest - social work.
In spite of this art was never put aside. In college, I discovered polymer clay. Creativity was my form of relaxation. I would knit, sketch, paint, write and then I discovered polymer clay. At first I started making brooches and earrings for friends and family and this led me to selling my creations from a billboard on the streets of Belfast. My sales contributed to my much needed “entertainment expenses” during the challenging period of student life.
When starting my career as a social worker, I retired from making and selling jewellery. But about 10 years ago, when I was asked to contribute something for a school fair, I remembered my old box of polymer clay and in this moment I rediscovered my passion for working with clay.
With the fair being a resounding success and my children being older, I decided that the time had come to try a change of career. My mantra is that when life throws opportunity in your path, it is up to you to pick it up and go!
Make jewellery an extension of you, celebrating your individuality and daring.
I am a polymer clay artist specialising in jewellery, I see each piece as an individual work of art. My work is all about experimenting and creating with colour. Colour is one of the easiest things to use to make a statement, create a mood and allow yourself to express yourself. My creations challenge the wearer to be playful, daring and imaginative.
I attend regular workshops held by international artists to keep myself current and up to date with the latest techniques. My work has been featured in Polymerclay Daily. I am a member of the Design and Crafts Council of Ireland, the Irish Polymer Clay Guild and the International Polymer Clay Association.
What I love most about working with polymer clay is its great flexibility. You can literally do anything. I often start with one intention and end up with something quite different. More often than not that different is even better than what was originally intended! My inspiration surrounds me living in this beautiful county along the renowned “Wild Atlantic Way”, a place of not only astounding beauty but also rich in culture and history, providing artists like myself with a never ending pallet of inspiration.