Gone to the Dogs:
How Sheryl Morrow Combines
eBay™ and Clay

A few weeks ago I was rummaging around on eBay seeing who was selling what, when I stumbled across the polymer clay auctions of Sheryl Morrow.  My first reaction was to smile. My second reaction was to zap a fast email to Sheryl asking if I could feature her work in pcPolyzine. I could go on and on about how precious I find each of Sheryl's little pups, but I'd rather you visit her auctions yourself. Sheryl has found a niche audience for her unique online auctions. She's another in a long list of polymer clay artists who turn their art into business. As you look at the photos in this article, perhaps you will think of someone who would just adore one of Sheryl's figurines. Perhaps that someone is you.

As the old saying goes, Sheryl Morrow has "gone to the dogs." Literally. Before that, she was a bear woman. No, not a bare woman, but a woman who collected bears. So, it was no wonder that after she and her sister-in-law went to their first polymer clay class, Sheryl began sculting bears. That was 11 years ago. Sheryl is just as enamored with polymer clay as the rest of us, and she has found a way to profit from her art. Sheryl sells her creations through eBay™, the well-known online auction website.  Here's how she does it:

"I decided I needed my own ideas and creations. I started with the idea of bears since I was a bear collector. I designed and created a Black Bear. I set up an eBay account and listed the bears. They went quite well, but I soon found that not everyone is a bear collector such as myself. I changed direction with another love of mine-DOGS!"

Sheryl didn't just shift gears and become successful, she did her homework.

"I bought myself a dog breed book and from what I had learned through my past clay classes I went to work. The first dog, of course, was my own Black Lab, Shadow. I then designed and sculpted a few other breeds of dogs and listed them on eBay. They were a hit!"

Sheryl has designed and sculpted up to 25 different dog breeds that she sells primarily on eBay and she accepts custom orders as well. She requests a picture of any pet that she plans to sculpt in polymer clay to help capture the personality as well as the breed of the dog.

When she isn't making and selling dog figurines, Sheryl enjoys spending time with her family and pets. "I have a wonderful, loving family," Sheryl says, "My parents, Ed and Shirley; and a brother, Scott and his wife, Cheryl, who have given me a beautiful niece Shelby, age 10 and a handsome nephew, Dakota, who is 6." Sheryl continues, " I share my home with two cats and a dog. My oldest cat, Buttons, is a Siamese and was given to me. My other cat is Lucky. She is a black and white shorthaired whom I rescued [when she was] five weeks old. My dog's name is Shadow and is a black lab and is also a rescued pet."

In addition to selling her polymer clay dogs, Sheryl donates some of her sculptures to her local Humane Society for their charity auctions. "I am also donating Bloodhound sculptures to the Bloodhound Nationals in Fairfield Glade, TN in October."

Sheryl works full-time as the Circulation Manager for a publishing company in Kansas City, Missouri.  She says her hobbies are "spending time outdoors in my yard working in my flower garden, sitting on my deck reading a good book, or just relaxing with my dog, Shadow. I also spend time with my niece and nephew and do a little Scrapbooking. I continue designing and sculpting new dog breeds in my home studio. Oh yes, and work with polymer clay."