At first glance it’s easy to presume that Melanie Allan’s polymer clay jewellery is made by painting on pictures or sticking on patterns. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Melanie’s highly detailed works are actually made using an ancient technique known as ‘Millefiori’ and the expertise and countless hours she applies to her creations is simply hard to fathom.
Melanie explains that Millefiori has an extremely rich history that dates back centuries and that its roots can be traced to the ancient glass making techniques of the Phoenicians, Egyptians and Romans.
“The term “Millefiori” means ‘a thousand flowers’ in Italian and in the 19th Century it became more highly developed (and popular) due to the renowned Murano glass work from Venice,” Melanie says.
“This glasswork was created by highly skilled artisans using an extremely complex process to create floral patterns and vibrant colours inside glass.”
In the mid-20th Century artists started to seek out an alternative to glass and the Millefiori technique transitioned into use with polymer clay (which is basically a synthetic clay made from polyvinyl chloride). Polymer clay was seen as a perfect choice as its pliability and diversity of colours made it ideal for replicating the intricate patterns found in traditional Millefiori glass.
“There’s a lot of work that needs to be done before you even get close to the final piece. I create sheets of graduated coloured clay by running the clay through a pasta machine. These sheets are then cut, shaped, and layered into handbuilt elements which are assembled just like a thick jigsaw that can be three inches deep.
“The picture is then created from these layered colours which are compressed by hand to create a block that I shape into what they call ‘canes’ or ‘rods’. The more you squeeze and pull the ‘cane’ the more it elongates and the picture or pattern inside gets smaller and smaller. The secret is to be really, really gentle.”
The resulting canes look a bit like rock candy canes as their detailed patterns and images run through their entire length. Melanie then slices thin cross-sections from these canes, revealing the miniature designs hidden inside. These slices are then baked to harden them, sanded, polished and often lacquered to give a luxurious finish.
There’s no doubt that this technique requires great skill and patience and it’s polymer clay’s similarity to traditional clay that initially tweaked Melanie’s interest as she had been a potter for many years previously.
As soon as Melanie tried this alternative clay-like medium she was immediately hooked and every night for the next five years she practised, practised and practised some more.
“It was like an apprenticeship to me. I was constantly exploring what this material could do and it was absolutely amazing stuff as it could do anything I wanted. I was totally addicted.
Believe me I’ve had plenty of failures over the years but there’s always the opportunity to cut a failed work into pieces and incorporate those pieces into something completely new.”
And this is another reason for Melanie’s adoration for this technique as it allows for endless adaptations and experimentation with colours, shapes and patterns. Melanie now creates all manner of intricate, eye-catching pieces featuring geometric designs and abstract compositions as well as images of birds, animals and flowers.
But whatever Melanie’s working on, the appeal of her work lies in her ability to combine a traditional technique with contemporary creativity that results in tiny and timeless pieces of artistry.
Melanie’s work is available via shopify https://innervisionstudio.shop/
