"Multitasker." Most dictionaries define this word as someone who does several things at once. I believe a better definition of multitasker would be to simply place a photo of C.A. Therien next to the word. "Cat" as she is better known, gives new meaning to the concept of doing several things at once. Putting it plainly, the woman absolutely defies gravity as she juggles being a homeschooling mother of six, keeping a busy household humming along, writing polyclay articles for publication in myriad magazines, operating an informative website, and oh-by-the-way, did I mention she sells handmade art pieces in her eBay store?

Cat is truly a wonder woman. When I grow up, I want to be her. We have gotten to know each other over the course of the last year or so and I am constantly in awe of her balance. She is always ready to lend a hand when I need some behind-the-scenes advice on an ezine article (or two or five) and is a constant source of inspiration for me.

If you are not already familiar with Cat's artistic work, start keeping your eyes open for  her articles and tutorials that regularly appear in print magazines such as PolymerCAFÉ.  She is one of those clayers who gives us all a good name by sharing what she knows in easy to understand step-by-step lessons.

Cat's journey into the polyclay world began in December 2001 when she was invited to a mother/daughter Christmas party. The invitation included a note to bring two colors of polymer clay to the party. Cat says she procrastinated on buying the clay and dashed into Wal-Mart on the way to the party to pick up what she needed. Instead of being able to select just a few packs of clay, all she could find was the multi-packs. With no time to visit another craft store, in desperation she bought the multi-pack. The cute snowman sculpture she made at the party resulted in a lot of leftover clay still in the package, so she turned to the Internet to find out what else could be done with the medium. "I was completely overwhelmed by the volume of information and the gorgeous work that polymer clay artists had been showing in their galleries," Cat observed.  "I was instantly hooked when I found out that you could accessorize your own outfits with custom polymer jewelry!"

Millefiore canework is Cat's favorite technique, and has been, she says, for about a year and a half.  "The versatility that Millefiore offers really draws me to it, because the images that can be made in clay are nearly limitless.  I love floral work especially, and canework lends itself so well to that."

Cat's polyclay work is influenced by a number of artists in different media. For classic jewelry she loves the art nouveau style of Rene LaLique;  for stained glass, she loves Tiffany; for nail art, Christie's Nails (Cat says, "you've got to check out her website... it's fantastic... http://www.christiesnails.com"); for greeting card art she loves  Mary Engelbreit;  and for polymer clay, she says her list includes Marla Frankenberg, Cheryl Harris, Sarajane Helm, Donna Kato, Chryse Laukkonnen, Catherine Mathewson, Leigh Ross, Dawn Scannell, Lynne Swartzenberg, and Diane Villano. As with many of us, Cat says "there are a ton of others but it would take the whole article just to list them!"