Check out Sweet Stella Designs at the free Craftin’ Outlaws fair at the Columbus Museum of Art.
Sunday, March 29 | 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Have you ever seen a one-inch Pop-Tart or a bowl of macaroni and cheese that could fit on your fingertip? Local artist Amy Neiwirth is redefining how we wear jewelry and celebrate food.
Neiwirth, an art teacher at Columbus Torah Academy, defines her jewelry making business – Stella Sweet Designs, named after her cat – as a side hustle. Regardless, the local artist is dedicating hours to creating intricate products that make our cuteness meters explode.
“I’ve been doing this for so long, but when I make the perfect little Pop-Tart and get the sprinkles just right with a little bite taken out, I kind of giggle to myself just because I made this from nothing,” Neiwirth says. “Food is a universal theme in art, and it’s something almost everyone can relate to.”
From taco earrings to Jewish cuisine bracelets, every item is made from colorful polymer clay and is far from abstract – the pumpkin pie charm with whipped cream looks so realistic you want to take a tiny bite.
The creative process parallels cooking, as each charm requires a particular recipe. Neiwirth describes how she rolled out the clay for an Ohio-shaped pizza charm, used a state-shaped cookie-cutter, stretched the sauce over the “dough,” baked it, added the multi-colored toppings and baked it a bit more.
When a charm calls for a liquid-like effect – butter, sauces, broths – Neiwirth uses liquid clay and drizzles the dyed mixture over the food, just as a chef would pour a delicious sauce on their latest masterpiece.
The world of cuisine presents endless possibilities for Neiwirth, and she doesn’t plan on diverging from the tiny food theme anytime soon.
“There is something about the way my brain works where if I see the food, the color, the texture, the shape just makes sense with me translating that into the clay – it doesn’t work (for me) with other objects,” Neiwirth says, laughing. “I guess it’s something magical, and tiny things are cute.”
Neiwirth’s designs hold appeal for all ages. She says her mother, Anne, rocks the original jewelry, earning her the title “marketing mom.”
“Not every product is meant for every person and that’s OK, but I think that my stuff could be worn by anyone of any age,” Neiwirth says.
Her work also inspires her students. None has tackled the difficult process of creating tiny food art, but many love working with clays, just like Neiwirth.
“My job is to encourage other people to be creative and find their artistic voice, so I think it’s really important for me to be an artist that makes work too,” Neiwirth says.
Sweet Stella Designs is on Etsy and at Wild Cat Gift & Party in Clintonville, and Neiwirth plans to launch her website, www.sweetstelladesigns.com, this year.
Lydia Freudenberg is an editor. Feedback welcome at lfreudenberg@cityscenemediagroup.com.
