NYC artist Olga Ayala wants her art to be interactive. “I am a polymer clay artist who doesn’t believe that art should be something you just look at. That’s why many of my pieces of art are also functional, ” she says.

She’s preparing for Fiesta Navidena which celebrates Puerto Rican heritage month in NYC this weekend with her Bomba Dancer finger puppets, dolls and cutouts.

For the holiday season she’s created sets of Los Reyes Mago in several sizes including these finger puppets. See more of her drummers and dancers on Facebook and on her Etsy site.

Apostolescu’s freestyle toys

Matei Apostolescu’s profusion of polymer toys and models make him look like Romania’s modern day Santa Claus. His fleet of race cars, jets, submarines and weapons delight the kid in all of us.

He uses simple clay shapes to build complex machines which he textures and paints. Keep clicking on his 152 toys to see the whole range.

Matei’s paintings and illustrations on his DeviantArt site help acquaint you with his aesthetic. His illustrations and his clay art have a 1960’s “Peter Max meets the digital age” sensibility.

Matei is known as one of the hottest freestyle artists in the world of illustration and says of his process, “I try to explore as much as I can. It is a fusion of different media: drawing, vector, photography, manipulation, sometimes even clay modeling. To me, inspiration is about having the courage to explore the world, and especially yourself and the processes that take place in your own mind.”

Susan Lomuto (DailyArtMuse) ran into Matei’s work and sent the link along.

Interactive polymer

Apostolescu’s freestyle toys