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I was raised on Vancouver Island in British Columbia and have always been deeply affected by the colours and textures of this wonderful part of the world. I have been involved in the arts from as long as I can remember having spent most of my childhood drawing, painting and working with ceramics. After a rewarding teaching career I decided to move from inspiring my students to rediscover my own creative processes and began studies in ceramics at Emily Carr College of Art and Design. My formal studies paused when I had my children but the internet gave me a chance to branch out to other mediums and meet other artists both online at conferences and workshops in Canada and the United States. These explorations as well as a tendency to collect stones, driftwood, beach glass, rusty bits and pieces, ephemera and similar treasures have led me to my passion for mixed media. An exploration into paper and book arts eventually led me to experiment with polymer clay which has proven to be the perfect foundation medium for my approach.

I came upon the idea for "ethni'Zens", the first of my art dolls when I was beachcombing & stopped to study the form of some bull kelp that was strewn upon the sand. I saw the suggestion of a long skirt cascading from a dancer's hips & visualized an exciting way to combine polymer clay with fibre and found materials to crate an evocative character who is subtly beautiful & unabashedly aloof..... each of my art dolls and pieces of wearable art have stories to tell of lives long past or yet to be, real and imaginary places far away and the beauty of the natural environment be it on the shore , in the forest or in my garden.. My studio is located in Victoria BC and I have work displayed in Victoria and Vancouver.

My work is in collections in Canada, the US, Europe and Japan. I am a member of the Crafts Association of British Columbia, the Island Artisans' Association, the Oak Bay Community Artists and several online Polymer Clay and Doll Art Groups.

View more of Gera's work at www.gerascottchandler.com

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