Cynthia Toops | Grey Monkey

Artist:  Cynthia Toops

Materials: Polymer clay, silver, mokume metal (Shining Wave Metals)

Dimensions: 1.6" x 1" x 0.25"

Origin of featured materials: Shining Wave Metals / Phillip Baldwin

Story behind the piece:  We were excited to purchase a small piece of Phillip Baldwin's mokume gane. It is very precious to us, so we decided to make a small bezel - it is our first work with this metal and was going to be a learning experience.
  
I was born in January 1956 and always thought I was a monkey, one of the 12 signs of the Chinese zodiac. Only later did I learn that I was actually a sheep since January of the current calendar is actually December of the previous year in the lunar calendar. Still, I always liked listening to stories of the Monkey King and his exploits. He was smart and energetic with just a touch of mischief. He also had supernatural powers with the ability of transformation. The monkey seemed like a good choice for Phillip's piece. 

I have worked with the technique of mokume gane in polymer clay and wanted to incorporate that into this piece. Dark blue and grey are also supposed to be the lucky colors for people with the monkey sign in 2025.

Artist Bio: Cynthia was born in Hong Kong and graduated from Drake summa cum laude in Biology before getting her BFA in printmaking from the University of Washington. I discovered polymer clay in 1986, pioneering onlay and micromosaic techniques in this medium.  2025 marks 32 years working full time in art. 

This piece is part of, From Wave to Shining Wave: a Celebration of Phil Baldwin and Shining Wave Metals Baldwin. The exhibition is presented in collaboration with the Seattle Metals Guild. 5% of sales will be donated to help fund an endowment at Pendland in Phillip Baldwin’s name. Learn more HERE. All work will remain on exhibit through July 20, 2025.

📂 [View the entire collection HERE ]

ℹ️ [Learn more about the exhibition HERE]