“ We are dedicated to evolving polymer clay through creativity without boundaries, quality without compromise, design with intent, and innovation with integrity.

And we want to have fun doing it.”

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July 2009 When we decided to write a mission statement for The Cutting Edge, we went down to the beach. When you're a two-person company, home-based on an island on Canada's West Coast, sometimes the beach is your boardroom. We don't have an actual boardroom, but that's okay, since we don't have a Board. If we did, we might have written a Mission Statement (complete with Capital Letters) back in 2005, when we launched The Cutting Edge. But if we had, it's unlikely that the 2005 model would have inspired us to make a YouTube video (and that was fun, like going to the beach is fun). At least by 2005, we already had a vision for our venture. That all kinda came together during a walk in the woods. At the beach, you write mission statements. In the woods, you have visions: Dan: So, we've got this new tool. What should we call it? Tracy: Well, let's see... What is it? D: It's a peeler. T: What does it do? D: It peels polymer clay. You build these things called slabs, and then
you use the peeler to cut perfectly thin slices off the edge of the slab. 
It works like nothing else. T: A peeler that cuts the edge like nothing else? D: Yeah. T: How about 'The Cutting Edge Peeler'? Sometimes, it's just that simple. Or so it seems, looking back. The truth is, when you're a two-person company, nothing is ever simple. Simple, as in uncomplicated? Sure. Two is simple, and things are usually pretty easy in a partnership (except when we need to break a tie). But simple, like uninvolved, undemanding, unrefined? Hardly. We have been partner artists and teachers since 1995. Our first focus was making and selling polymer clay jewelry and objects under our banner brand, HoCo! (as in, Holmes + Cormier). Next, the tools and techniques that Dan had developed during years as a self-taught artist soon became the foundation for our work as teachers. In 1996, Dan's innovative 'Perfect Fit' vessels got us on the faculty at the first Convergence at Ravensdale. In 2005, we debuted our Peeler as a new tool for this medium, and have now taught our flagship 'Cutting Edge' workshop in eight countries. Always looking for better ways to get the best results, Dan sees himself as an artist who finds joy in the process of making things. Not just the finished objects, but the models, gadgets, and jigs he builds along the way, assembled from whatever is at hand: cardboard, tape, wood, metal, glass, and polymer clay. Maybe more than anything, Dan is a 'systems guy,' a curious technician on a constant quest to push the boundaries, to solve challenges, open doors, answer questions. And if those answers bring more questions? That's good. That's what's supposed to happen: the process continues. These systems typically start as little ideas, some sought-after solution to a specific challenge Dan is facing in his own studio. But then, they reveal themselves as much more, versatile portals to whole new ways of working, often completely unexpected, and always open-ended. "For me, my tools and what I do with them have always been intertwined. It's not about the latest gimmick or trick. It's more fundamental, evolving organically out of some need I find through my dialogue with the clay. A new idea requires a tool I don't have. So I make that tool. Once I have it, I can usually do the thing I wanted to do, which is great. But even better, it continues the conversation. Suddenly I see something I couldn't see before, something I hadn't even imagined. Like cresting a hill, I get a new view, a new perspective, a new take on my medium. That takes me to an even newer place, creating the need for another newer something else, and on it goes. It's a cycle, a feedback loop, and it's the most thrilling process, the high that I live for in my work. Best of all, the whole process can be shared. One artist might find some new way in, but when tools and techniques are open-ended, anyone can use them in their own way. There's always room for personal interpretation, so each artist can bring their own voice to the work. It's a bit of a paradox, but by honing in, focusing on fundamental tools and refining ways to use them, we actually expand our potential and broaden our possibilities." Bringing a voice to The Cutting Edge, Tracy is its communicator. First, to listen and observe, she always gets the scoop on what's new. Then, loving both the message and the challenges presented in conveying it, she looks for the best ways to spin it (in a good way), tweak it, tidy it up, and tell it to others. Writing a quick email, or pressing rewind to translate one of Dan's light-speed right-brained concepts into a teachable tutorial. Mixing words, pictures, and music to send a message-in-a-minute in an instant to the world. Even writing stuff like this. It's all part of The Cutting Edge story, and Tracy is happy to be your narrator. We have spent almost fifteen years on this self-directed and rarely (barely) mapped journey of discovery, grateful for the innovation and evolution that's surrounded us. We debuted the Peeler in 2005. The Sh.A.R.K. followed in 2008 (Dan invented his Sheet Adjuster four years earlier, but it lurked below the surface for a while, as things often do). And with more to come in 2009, we're not done yet. We are blessed, not just because we're able to do what we love, but because we get to share our passion with others who, like us, are dedicated to evolving polymer clay through
creativity without boundaries, quality without compromise, design with intent, and innovation with integrity. And we're having fun doing it. Dan & Tracy  go to The Cutting Edge The Peeler Collection The Sh.A.R.K. Collection The Cutting Edge StoreCUTTINGEDGEminute.htmlCUTTINGEDGEhome.htmlCUTTINGEDGEPeeler.htmlCUTTINGEDGEShARK.htmlCUTTINGEDGEstore.htmlshapeimage_8_link_0shapeimage_8_link_1shapeimage_8_link_2shapeimage_8_link_3shapeimage_8_link_4