Kim Korringa : Making a Cane

The technique for caning is derived from the ancient art of glass millefiori canework perfected by the Venetians. However, instead of glass I use the modern medium of polymer clay.

The designs are created by combining many colors of clay, wrapping them with contrasting colors of clay, stacking them, shaping them, and cutting and reassembling them into a large complex image. The cane is then stretched and reduced in diameter so that the pattern inside becomes smaller and smaller, while the detail is retained. When the cane is sliced in cross-section, the intricate pattern inside is revealed!