Going cuckoo

Gael Keyes goes a little cuckoo with outrageous birds on PolymerClayDaily.com

New Mexico’s Gael Keyes (@keyesgael) focused on bugs at last year’s Clayathon. This year she’s added outrageous fish and birds to her repertoire of wildlife.

Gael Keyes goes a little cuckoo with outrageous birds on PolymerClayDaily.com

Gael developed her own cane style that she pattern-matches in the Natasha bead way (here’s a quick tutorial) to create feathers, fins, and wings.

During the holidays she turns to her own brands of angels that you can see on Facebook.

Natasha bugs

Bugs crawl out of Gael Keyes' scrap pile on PolymerClayDaily

New Mexico’s Gael Keyes makes fantastical bugs and beetles with fancy wire legs dressed in polymer and beaded antennae. They’re composed of scrap clay twisted into a Natasha bead pattern to create the bookend pattern on their backs and wings.

Polymer is a family affair with Gael. She’s here at Claython in New Jersey with her mother (Carole Centrella) and sister (Linda O’Brien). Retired from a school principal job, Gael’s online exposure had to be limited. She launched onto Instagram today! Follow her.