Devos, Mary Ann

We all have a creative force within us. To encourage this creativity in ourselves and others is one of life's most fulfilling challenges. Art always has been joy in my life. Over the years this journey of expression has taken me through textiles, clay, glass and jewelry design. In 1988 I made a strong commitment to metal. My influences have always been organic shape, ancient primitive art and the beauty of nature. Some of my most inspirational teachers have been Didi Suydam, Betty Helen Longhi, Barbara Simon, Sherry Fotopoulos, Tim McCreight, Lynne Merchant, Thomas Mann and Hitoshi Araki of Japan. My work has been marketed in galleries and juried art shows.

My love of silver clay started in 1996. Early that year I participated in the first PMC class presented to studio jewelers. The instructor was Tim McCreight. I continued this training with classes in Japan, where I trained under the Master Teacher in silver clay. I began using PMC as a component of my limited edition jewelry lines.

My teaching career in silver clay began in 1998. Together with my husband, Ken, I began a long association with the Wm. Holland School of Lapidary Arts in Young Harris, Georgia. Presenting first Art Clay then Precious Metal Clay Certification classes, I have been responsible for the development of silver clay education programs in the US. I have taught silver clay techniques across the US as well as in Canada, Europe, South Africa, Australia and Japan.

I have written two books on PMC. The first, Introduction to Precious Metal Clay, was published by Wardell Publications in 2002. This book has been used as the basic text for the Certification classes presented by PMC Connection Senior Teachers. This work is in its third printing.

I followed this with a second book, Precious Metal Clay in Mixed Media, which Wardell Publication released in July 2004. Response to this new work has been so strong that it also is in its third printing.

It is so amazing to see how this new material can be used by fine jewelers, potters, porcelain artists, china painters, doll makers and glass artists. The only boundary for these artists is their imagination.

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