Hardenbrook’s art comes in tiny packages
MEDICAL LAKE – Although she’s had her clay crafts business, Little Darlins, since 1980, Darlene Hardenbrook has been a sculptor for most of her life.
“Ever since I was a child I liked to sculpt,” said Hardenbrook of Medical Lake. “I used to lock myself in the bathroom and carve things out of soap, like little bears. And then I’d get in trouble for wasting the soap. They didn’t know that one day I’d end up doing something like this.”
Hardenbrook sculpts clay items, including pins, earrings, ornaments, tooth fairy jars and miniatures. Her themes feature holidays, animals, occupations, sports and angels. And her ideas are endless.
“Every time I see something done or a different idea of someone else’s, I’ve got 10 more of my own I want to do,” says Hardenbrook. “I will never run out of ideas. I’ll never live long enough. There’s no limit. I’m told I have a good imagination.”
The material she uses, polymer clay, is human-made, almost a plastic. It’s versatile, not susceptible to moisture and can be fired in a regular oven. It’s available in many colors and can be rubber stamped.
Hardenbrook is self-taught from instructional books and tapes. She’s learned over the years that her specialty is miniatures. Anything larger than 2 inches high is difficult for her.
“It’s a real chore to have to make big things,” says Hardenbrook. “The littler, the better. I’m getting more back into the miniatures. That’s what I really love to do. And there aren’t that many people around that can work that small.”
Miniatures are popular among collectors and dollhouse owners. Hardenbrook can mold an item, such as a teapot, into just a quarter-inch high, complete with a barn scene painted on it.
Simple tools can do the job. Upholstery needles, toothpicks, razor blades, old dental tools and clay cutters are included in her equipment. Often she places her minis atop a thimble on her thumb for easier work access.
Hardenbrook also does custom orders. Angels with children’s faces are popular. Customers will bring in photos of pets and request a look-alike pin. Once she crafted the likeness of a couple with the man handing a heart to the woman for Valentine’s Day. Most of all, though, she enjoys making people laugh.
“I just love when I’m in my booth and I hear people come in and see something and laugh,” she says. “That’s the best part to me, to be able to make people laugh. I think it just brightens their day a little bit.”
Hardenbrook also uses wire, fabric, yarn, beads and charms with her clay. A mini box will hold a tiny charm, or a chicken will have wire wings.
“I’m always changing my designs,” says Hardenbrook. “Say I’ll do a snowman, and after I do that design for awhile I need to change it. So I’ve probably made over a dozen different types of snowmen or Santas or angels over the years. I’m always changing and revising, trying to come up with different things.”
For the future, Hardenbrook would like to teach classes, and once her children are older to exhibit at shows across the country. She’s always interested in learning new techniques, the latest to catch her eye being precious metal clay. When the piece is fired, the clay burns away and only the precious metal is left.
Whatever her plan, Hardenbrook’s work is sure to please the eye and invite a smile.