FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — The creations Janelle Solis is putting in the oven aren’t the edible kind.
The owner of Jes Clay makes handmade polymer clay earrings.
“I feel like my earrings have a little bit of me in them because that’s something I would wear too, so I feel comfortable promoting it,” she said.
Three years in business, the Fresno Pacific University grad and social worker started creating wearable art during the pandemic.
“I found that as the right time to go into a hobby,” she said.
As does any artist, Janelle creates her own designs and colors.
“You have your primary colors — blue, red, white, black, yellow, green,” she said. “Then, what you do is cut them into blocks to make a nude color or a light pink color.”
We got a peek at her home studio to show you the process.
“After it’s conditioned, I roll it back onto my tile,” she said. “I’ll put a texture or screen print on it, and then I will use a cutter and I will cut them out, take them off of my tiles, transfer them onto the computer paper with a baking tray and bake them.”
After that, it’s time to assemble.
“This part is where it gets really messy — the drilling and the sanding,” Solis said. “It’s covered in liquid clay to just make sure that it’s not going to come off and it’s going to last you.”
Posts, hoops, dangles or bling, the Jes Clay collection features what customers want thanks to interactive stories with polls and sales on her Instagram.
“I always do Instagram posts asking for feedback from my followers,” she said. “I really go based on their feedback because they are the ones wearing them and buying them.”
Jes Clay also does custom orders for bridal parties.
“I get overwhelmed, excited, just really grateful that they want to support my business and wear my art on their ears,” she said.
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