Penni Jo Couch

Master/sculptor & Designer, Teacher

From childhood, I have loved art and have spent decades creating beautiful and intricate designs. Since 1981, after discovering the oven baked clay called Fimo, I have been ‘playing in clay’. This new clay was a pleasure to use and the results are  consistently delightful. Eventually I settled in on using Fimo to make miniatures, doll  house accessories, 1/12th scale hobby horses, carousel horses, children and teddy  bears. I also began teaching classes locally and at miniature conventions throughout the US.

The teddy bears grew to be my favorite line to sculpt and I soon began to expand the look of the tiny bears, putting them in settings and active poses, clothing them in  costumes from many time frames. Eventually the teddy bears gained a following and  evolved into the PenniBears, my own signature line.

In 1989, after seeing my work, Gary Clinton, president and CEO of United Design Corporation in Noble OK, called me and offered me a position as a designer/sculptor. I continued to expand my abilities as a designer/sculptor and eventually branched out into nearly every line UDC offered, including the “Winnie the Pooh” miniatures requested by Disney. I have designed and sculpted a wide range of sizes from a line called “Micro Critters” that were under 1/2 inch tall all the way to large garden angels. These designs designs have been sold worldwide in scores of catalogs.

In 1991, working with another staff sculptor/designer, we created something very new, highly detailed resin photo frames. The line “Fancy Frames” was hugely successful. Many companies world wide began to follow suit to make highly sculpted resin frames.

In 2004, United Design was sold and and moved out of town. I stayed in Moore and started a home based design company, Penni Jo’s Design Group, Inc. During this time I designed many spiritual, and home decor designs for several companies. In February of 2008, I retired and closed my studio. My focus has turned away from commercial projects to fine art. I continue to grow, learn and expand my artistic talents by taking classes, studying techniques, experimenting and reading. A part of each day is dedicated either to new sculpts for molds, drawings for rubber stamps, sketches for new jewelry or learning and refining a new technique.

In order to give back to the community, I began creating classes for, and teaching
Polymer Clay Techniques at Southern Oaks Rec Center in Oklahoma City.

In 2006 Angela Mabray and I started the Central Oklahoma Polymer Clay Guild, affiliated with the International Polymer Clay Association, a non profit guild, that meets monthly . I teach classes at guild and support the polymer clay events.

In 2009 my project was selected to be taught at the Orlando Clay Fandango. It was a wonderful and enjoyable time.

I am continuing to create new projects, designs and sculptures for molds. The journey we call life is filled with creative adventures.

Be sure to take a look at the molds designed by Penni Jo and check out the free tutorials available.