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Jana Roberts Benzon Marlene Blessing

F

Deflt-inspired inro

Arabesque focal bead

or some, Jana Roberts Benzon’s trajectory into the world of polymer-clay art may seem too speedy—she’s been doing millefiori caning for less than three years. However, her journey into this colorful, malleable medium has its roots in her childhood. Jana’s mother was a talented portrait artist, and from an early age, Jana created her own art by sculpting soap, cutting out paper dolls, even fashioning fairy furniture of leaves and twigs. She was also deeply influenced by the beautiful patterned textiles her mother sewed into clothing and wore. Those intricate patterns, mostly Arabic, Tibetan, or East Indian in feeling, are everywhere expressed in Jana’s unique polymer beads. Stir together her lifelong love of making things, of color, and of pattern, and you have the “Arabesque” polymer cane art that sprang so quickly into being for Jana. Her path to this medium was not really so speedy, however. In the years BP (Before Polymer), Jana experimented in lots of other media. She painted, sculpted with model-

ing compounds, made jewelry, worked as an interior floral designer for twenty years, and reared three sons. But after her youngest son graduated from high school a few years ago, Jana realized she was keenly hungry for a more deeply creative life. In fact, she recounts this time as one in which she knew she had something important to express but couldn’t find a way to do it. She even Googled the word “creativity,” hoping that something or some sign would emerge on her computer screen. Enter fate, or destiny, or serendipity. As Jana walked around a large crafts store in October 2004, she was drawn to the polymerclay aisle. She saw a book with projects and instructions, opened it, and felt her knees go weak. She knew she had found “IT.” Although Jana describes this creative epiphany as “nothing short of miraculous,” she says, “Inspiration doesn’t come as a bolt of lightning, but instead happens in ordinary circumstances.” Not one to lose momentum once she glimpsed the miraculous, Jana used online tutorials to teach herself all the various polymerclay techniques in order to understand the possibilities of the clay. At first, she thought

Jana is drawn to “art that holds mysteries within,” something reflected in each of her polymer beads.

Vrindavana river rock beads

Arabesque bead

Arabseque collage pendant Copyright Beadwork® magazine, Interweave Press LLC. Not to be reprinted. All rights reserved.

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Vrindavana rattler pendant

Origami pendant

Arabesque cane slices Arabesque pendant

she would make layered flower canes. But soon she developed her own style of millefiori caning, which she calls Arabesque—“an ornament or style that employs flower, foliage, or fruit and sometimes animal and figural outlines to produce an intricate pattern of interlaced lines.” It’s hard to believe that the delicate, graceful lines and motifs in Jana’s patterns begin as a fat eight-pound polymer-clay cane. In the cane, she combines colors fearlessly, inspired by the bold hues in Persian art. Once she’s satisfied with the large pattern she’s created, Jana begins thinning the cane until it is about one inch in diameter and five feet long. To do this, she has her own technique, which includes “slamming” the clay against a concrete floor covered with plastic. The final results of this slamming exercise are creations worthy of royal consorts in The Arabian Nights in their beauty and complexity.

Jana is drawn to “art that holds mysteries within,” something reflected in each of her polymer beads. When asked what her favorite creation is, Jana responds, “I’m in love with each new thing I’m doing.” She then admits her origami pendants are her current favorite. Looking at the sensuous folds of these patterned originals, one could well dub her the Judy Chicago of polymer. And like that famous painter, Jana has simply called on nature to bring art to life. To view her polymer-clay work and her class schedule, go to www.janarobertsbenzon.com or call (801) 7188903. !

Asian lantern-inspired bracelet

Marlene Blessing is the editor in chief of Beadwork. BEADWORK

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