Loretta Lam’s art pilgrimage is extensive and multi-faceted. She has been teaching polymer arts and jewelry design for over 22 years. During those years, she has influenced the journeys of many learners, exchanging both technical and artistic knowledge, as well as personal growth experiences, becoming, in her own words, “the most important part of my creative business.”
Her outgoing personality allows Loretta to make the most of live events, especially after the pandemic. When the real world is actually the real world, even the everyday acts become unique and extraordinary.
As she puts it, “I get a lot of juice from being with a group of people all focused on the creative.” After all, it is when we share things and interact with each other in companionship that we get immersed and swept along by the magic of the present moment. That’s when a smile, a hug, or a simple word falls into place and bonds us together. And as Loretta correctly points out, “All under the umbrella of art!”
As a matter of fact, she was one of the artists who attended the last Polymer Week in 2024. When asked about her experience, she explained it clearly, “It was serious fun. Everyone was so eager to learn and try new things, playing and experimenting, fearlessly and joyfully. I loved it!”
Loretta then points out how she loved getting to meet so many people who she had only known from the internet. “Getting to hug those that I've only seen on a Zoom screen was a complete joy for me.” And as she finally concludes, summarizing her experience, “You will make new friends, grow and develop your artistic ideas, and have an incredible time.”
Loretta is frank and straightforward, and when asked about her passion in life—art—she reflects wisely, noting that “art is self-expression” and that you should create what you are, “what is more authentically you.” So, in order to be unique in life and by extension in art, Loretta’s advice is unequivocal: “You do you!”
Many artists are inspired by special “places & times.” In fact, some of them speak so directly to their hearts and minds that their artwork is touched in some way. That’s the case for Loretta when asked about a place that has sparked her creativity.
She mentions the environmental installation called Opus 40, a magical sculpture garden created by Harvey Fite over 40 years in Saugerties, New York. “The reduced color palette and natural textures totally changed my vision of what I can do.”
As a matter of fact, Loretta’s art piece “Bluestone” captures the essence of this influence, especially those details that only a trained eye can spot easily and be inspired by.
As she highlights, “It’s the small details—the patterns, textures, and interplay of moss and lichen—that changed the way I see art.” Loretta still refers to the Opus 40 outdoor sculpture. We can tell by closely observing her other art pieces, “Fallen Trees” and “Roots,” how she has refined her technique to convey that subtle micro-world.
If you are wondering where Loretta's path is leading for this 2025, be sure of one thing, as she puts it, “ideas are coming pretty fast.” On one hand, she has been doing portrait and figure drawing, reserving some painting for the future. On the other hand, regarding polymer clay, we have some good news. She will be in Europe next September, teaching a polymer clay masterclass in Turin, where she guarantees that “it will be a magic carpet ride of technique, design, idea generation, and finding your voice.”
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