From a young age, Gabriela Stoleriu had an inclination towards creativity, constantly adding unique details to her clothing to stand out.
Her passion for handmade techniques led her to become a textile engineer but remained passionate about all handmade techniques such as soutache, felting, macramé, and wire jewelry.
“Still, my biggest love is polymer clay and its wonderful versatility,” says Gabriela. “For me, working with polymer clay is like painting in 3D, because I can get so many unexpected effects. I really feel that I found my best medium to create.”
Creating jewelry and planning new projects in her kitchen, which doubles as her workspace, is Gabriela’s favorite way of spending her free time. She believes that a day without creating is incomplete, although it can be challenging to find time to do so with her full-time job.
Her favorite techniques involve combining polymer clay with other materials such as leather, textile, wire, and metallic components. Her latest collection focuses on textures and uses rubber stamps, buttons, and screws to create pieces that are both unique and unexpected.
The most rewarding aspect of Gabriela’s art is the joy it brings to her clients. The artist's biggest satisfaction is the smile on the faces of her customers, and the surprise they experience when receiving the jewelry they ordered.
“I would like to tell the newbies in the polymer clay field to feel free to experiment,” she says, “to fully enjoy the process of creation. Be kind to yourself, find your favorite colors, do not buy many expensive tools. Invest time in learning tips and tricks.”
When looking at Gabriela’s jewelry, we can’t help ourselves but want to transport to the summer beach place, looking at the sea and searching for shells. The artist's preferred color palette includes earth tones combined with green or turquoise, with metallic colors adding a modern touch to her designs. Working with three different colors for jewelry is her usual choice, although her mood sometimes inspires her to create using pastels or bold hues.
“What I believe is great about polymer clay is that you can get unexpected results and combinations,” she says, “just by being playful with tools that you have around you.” She draws inspiration from artists such as Lisa Pavelka, Christine Dumont, Lucy Struncova, Pavla Cepelikova, and Olga Ledneva, and is grateful to have found a supportive community of polymer clay creators.
