As spring begins to surface, we’ll take inspiration from Impressionist painting—especially Monet’s soft palettes, layered color, and sense of movement—to create small trinket dishes using polymer clay as our medium.
In this workshop, you’ll learn how to “paint with clay,” blending and layering colors to create painterly effects rather than precise patterns. We’ll cover basic polymer clay techniques including conditioning, color mixing, marbling, slab building, shaping, and finishing, with an emphasis on organic marks and visual texture.
Each participant will create one or more trinket dishes designed for everyday use—perfect for rings, keys, or small treasures. No prior experience is required, and perfection is not the goal. This class is about process, color, and letting materials guide the final form.
All materials provided.
This program is FREE to current Maker Space Members (use coupon: Member) or $25 for non-members. Space is limited.
Meet your instructor: MARANDA LUJAJOHNSON
Maranda is a multidisciplinary artist and maker with a background in ceramics, drawing, and graphic design. She earned her degrees from Herron School of Art and Design at IUPUI and has since worked across mediums — from painting and sculpture to custom furniture design.
Maranda co-founded a design & fabrication business she runs with her brother and partner, a sustainable festival accessories company, and she converted a box truck into a tiny home, sparking her passion for custom builds.
Locally in Muncie, she serves as the Maker Space Coordinator at MadJax, where she leads the Villager Series — a weekly program rooted in the idea that it takes a village to bring community ideas to life. When she’s not making, she’s usually learning something new or helping others discover what’s possible with their own hands — though she’s just as happy tending a campfire, wandering the woods, or dreaming up ideas with friends.
