Introduction

My name is Olga Nicolas. I am a French artist and teacher. I work with several materials, the main one being polymer clay. In 2014, creation became my full time activity.  But my first professional choice: teaching remains an activity that is close to my heart. This is why I offer workshops and courses.

Since my teenage years, I have practised or tried many artistic activities: painting, sculpture, pottery, basketry, enamelling on copper: everything that concerns the work of the material intrigues and interests me.

THE REASON FOR MY WEBSITE NAME: P’TITS CAILLOUX

This name comes from the image that jewels evoked to me when I chose my pseudo: small pebbles mounted in jewels in order to sublimate a person.

Symbolically, the little pebbles are also for me «marks «that we leave on the path of the people we meet. I tell myself that my life also follows the path punctuated by these little pebbles left by the people around me.

THE MATERIAL I WORK WITH

At the end of 2005, I discovered a tutorial for making pens out of Fimo clay while wandering on the net. I tried it and I was captivated.  I had just fallen under the spell of polymer clay. I feel like I have more artistic freedom with this medium.

Since my discovery of polymer clay, I am very attracted to all surface techniques. I don’t buy coloured clay anymore. I almost exclusively use black, white and translucent clay. I bring in colour by using other materials: acrylic paints, oil paints, pigments, pastels, inks, felt pens….

I love to search and experiment.  No one knows how many trials and errors are necessary before I get a piece  that suits me.  I make mistakes, I make errors and I learn from them to improve my project.

MY WORKSHOPS AND CLASSES

I try to make my classes and workshops as innovative and complete as possible.

I was a school teacher for a long time. I like to teach, I like to share. My trainees sometimes tell me that they find, in the way I build my workshops, an approach of a pedagogue. These workshops also allow me to meet people from all over the world. It is very satisfying.