I guess maybe it’s one of those innate characteristics that my genetics blessed upon me, but I have a weak spot for art of all kinds, especially illustration. Dimensional illustration is something I have always loved, taking the subject off the paper and bringing him to life. Polymer clay is a great medium for this...
Each holiday season I attempt to create a number of special gifts from polymer clay. I spend numerous nights sleepless from about Halloween, until Christmas Eve. This special request was one of those last minute sculpts, finished just in time for Christmas Eve delivery. The initial sketch was child-made. His alter-ego in the superhero and...
For years I wanted to get a crafty tattoo. I really didn’t have a vision for it, until I had my baby bluebirds, Max and Mya. In the spring of 2019, I started envisioning this grand tattoo, whose placement would hide three older, small tattoos, on my neck, behind my ear, and my shoulder. They...
My first-born, Max, is a fierce computer nerd, with a love of all things fast. He rarely whispers, rather, he lives life very loud (which feeds into his mama’s “whine,” as you’ll read about soon enough. *giggle*) His vocal decibels are somewhat hypocritical, as he loathes hearing loud sounds. He has a huge kind heart, and is...
As an adult, I’ve dabbled in various projects such as soft sculpture (sewing), knitting/felting fibers, and various forms of clay. I traveled the northeast United States, selling my creations, known to many as “Chickpea.” During these early show years, I embarked on a quest to get healthier. After some health scares in my early 20s, I...
You can find my Etsy shop HERE. As an adult, I’ve dabbled in various projects such as soft sculpture (sewing), knitting/felting fibers, and various forms of clay. I traveled the northeast United States, selling my creations, known to many as “Chickpea.” It was with this traditional background, that I fell in love with the arts. You can...
I guess maybe it’s one of those innate characteristics that my genetics blessed upon me, but I have a weak spot for art of all kinds, especially illustration. Doesn’t matter if it’s my own or someone else’s, or a random doodle by a child (especially my child!) I am not prejudice about technique, either. It...
As an adult, I’ve dabbled in many traditional art forms. Clay sculpting being the most recent. For several years, I have had an online shop selling polymer clay pieces, but recently, earth clay has peaked my interest. For Mother’s Day, my hubby, Rick, surprised me with a pottery wheel class at a nearby artist loft....
In the winter 2017, an idea was hatching from numerous family trips: a family-run studio space for painting canvas and earth clay. This would be my second art studio, a long-awaited rebirth of all the things I loved about my previous art studio in Ohio. Cr8tive Clay would have classes, parties, and fundraisers. A Saturday...
In 2006, after many years in art show circuits in NE Ohio and Western Pennsylvania, I, Shelly Arroyo, A.K.A. Miss Chickpea to my fans, started my first brick-and-mortar studio, Miss Chickpea’s Funky Fibers, in Hudson, Ohio. Miss Chickpea’s was full of wonderful people, both employees, and patrons. What started as a line of uniquely felted...