This story begins more than fifteen years ago with a few experiments in a branch of millefiori-style canework called Damascus.
The story might have ended then.
But sometimes, the slightest curiosity can alter your trajectory and take you places you didn’t even know existed. Before I knew it, I was pulled in by something both familiar and undiscovered, like a parallel universe of pattern-making.
How could a simple technique lead to such a diverse range of new pattern possibilities?
The truth is, even something complex and captivating to look at can be easy to excavate… once you know the secrets.
Resurfacing from a renewed immersion to further explore and refine those early discoveries, I’m ready to share the full story with you in the first of two new MasterClasses debuting in 2026…
Reinventing Damascus Patterns in Polymer Clay
A 6-WEEK ONLINE MASTERCLASS WITH DAN CORMIER
January 30 – March 15, 2026
Twist Canes is an all-new process course debuting an exciting suite of techniques in polymer clay that offer a completely new take on an ancient tradition.
For centuries, metalworkers forged the shimmering, water-like patterns of Damascus steel into patterned blades, layering and twisting iron and carbon, a dance between order and chaos.
In my newest MasterClass, we’ll reinterpret that same principle in polymer clay, where patterns arise not from alloy and anvil, but from the meeting of clay, colour, and movement…
My interest in polymer clay has always been focussed on what the clay can do intrinsically. Not as a vehicle for other media, but on what’s possible when we zero in on the unique qualities of the material itself.
Twist Canes opens the door to a unique and largely unexplored realm of canework, where twisting becomes a generative tool for pattern design, transforming slabs of clay into flowing, organic veneers that reveal the beauty hidden inside the spiral.
All we have to do to capture these inner patterns is understand how to let them out.
UNEXPLORED CONTENT, FAMILIAR FORMAT
If you’ve been in my world for a while, you know how much I love pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with polymer clay. Developing this MasterClass has been a reminder of that, but sometimes it’s not just about going beyond, but honing in, seeing what else is waiting to be discovered on the inside.
Either way, new territory can be daunting. That’s why the twists and turns of Twist Canes will be presented in the same familiar format that has become a signature structure for all my MasterClasses, a framework that will let us move through the adventure without losing our way.
Here’s a summary of some of the milestones I’m mapping out for our journey…
Mastering the Mechanics
Cane design and construction, Twist Reduction, and the multiple access points that reveal hidden inner patterns.
Cane Colour Considerations
How the colours you choose, their relative strength, and their placement within your cane shape the final look of your twist. I’ll show you how to make thoughtful colour decisions that support clarity, contrast, and flow.
KnowHow: The Ends
A brand-new KnowHow lesson exploring how a simple scrap-clay tool can support every stage of your Twist Cane process. You’ll learn how to use “The Ends” for controlled reduction, precise peeling, and confident veneer construction.
Exploring Iterations
How small, strategic shifts in the composition of your cane transform the flow and complexity of your designs.
Guided Creation
Learn to shape your Twist with intention and turn your discoveries into thin, usable veneers ready for jewellery, inlay, or small object design.
ONE SYSTEM, INFINITE OUTCOMES
At the heart of Twist Canes is a playful process for discovering new patterns.
I created this system so polymer artists could create far more than a single successful cane.
When you learn the structure, you gain the ability to create a whole series of veneers that feel unified, yet endlessly variable. The method adapts effortlessly to different aesthetics.
Clean lines, soft gradients, bold contrasts, quiet neutrals... the Twist Cane system supports them all.
Damascus-style effects have been explored in polymer clay for decades.
But intentionality in colour, construction, and design is where Twist Canes stands apart.
Instead of betting against the unpredictability that often comes with traditional Damascus canework, this measured but malleable approach brings clarity, cohesive design, and maximum output. You get the expressive energy of patterns that seem alive with the movement employed to create them, but are contained and captured through a system you can steer with precision.
And I’ll be there to guide you through, every step of the way.
TRADITION… WITH A TWIST
Traditional millefiori usually starts with a defined plan.
You design an image up front, build it carefully in clay, and then reduce the cane to make that same design smaller and smaller. Most of the work is about control. You’re protecting the relationships inside the cane so the image stays intact as it’s compressed and stretched.
Twist Canes take a different approach.
Instead of locking in a design from the start, you begin with surprisingly simple structures and let movement do the work.
Twisting the cane coaxes the layers to shift and interact, and the pattern emerges along the way.
The goal isn’t to preserve a picture. It’s to guide the process and allow the clay to move where it wants to, collaboratively creating patterns in that liminal space between the artist and the art.
Each slice becomes a snapshot of that movement, captured in clay.
Alongside Single Slice Mokume, Matrix Canes, Blurred Lines, Five Star Colour, and MilleKume, Twist Canes continues the story as the next chapter in my series of exploratory surface MasterClasses.
These courses are designed to spark discovery and confidence, helping you turn simple sheets of clay into expressive, one-of-a-kind polymer patterns.
twist canes debuts as a 6-week ONLINE cohort course experience
January 30 – March 15, 2026
REGISTRATION FOR TWIST CANES
OPENS JANUARY 5, 2026
Complete this form and we’ll make sure you receive a ‘Subscribers Only’ invitation…
WHY STOP AT TEN?
Twist Canes will be the tenth MasterClass to debut in our online school.
If you’ve been there for any of the other nine debuts, you know there’s something special about being in the room when a new course is unveiled for the first time and a group of students charts the course together.
Save the date and be part of this ‘first time’ cohort experience.
Who knows where this twist will take you?
After all that open-ended exploration, you might be ready for a destination.
Here’s another twist…
There’s another MasterClass debuting in the new year, a second chance for a ‘first time’ course, building on the momentum of Twist Canes with something ‘Better…’
I’ve always loved making brooches.
Brooches are tiny worlds of possibility. Each one tells a story, makes a statement, carries a memory, and offers endless ways to play with technique. Every brooch I’ve ever made contains a chapter of my journey as an artist in this medium.
Over the years, I’ve explored this form in countless ways, developing techniques that best serve each piece, in both its fashion and its function. I’ve often been asked to share the different ways I’ve worked through each design…
Offering a guided tour of my favourite brooch concepts and techniques seemed like an ideal complement to Twist Canes, to build on the momentum of that MasterClass and give students a chance to showcase their Twist Cane patterns (or any other polymer veneers) in a one-of-a-kind wearable.
I can’t wait to share the stories behind these pieces.
Now it’s your turn… what will your brooch story be?
WEARABLE STORytelling in POLYMER CLAY
A 4-WEEK ONLINE MASTERCLASS WITH DAN CORMIER
May 1 – May 31, 2026
This all-new project course has been one of the most requested offerings yet.
Brooches are back… modern, bold, and very much in style.
Reimagined as miniature sculptures and maximalist statements, they’re the perfect form for exploring story, structure, and surface in polymer clay.
Over the years, many of my own brooches have started with a story. Sometimes it’s a memory, sometimes a place, sometimes it’s a little idea that longs to finds its way into shape and colour.
A brooch is the perfect vehicle for this kind of storytelling. It sits front and centre, a small sculpture that carries meaning as much as design. Alongside the technical knowhow that’s a hallmark of my workshops, we’ll explore this storytelling element too, encouraging you to bring your own point of view into your project and let your brooch become a story you can wear.
Following a format similar to my popular bead-making course, Building Better Beads, Building Better Brooches will guide you through the full arc of brooch-making, from idea to design to construction to finishing.
Here’s a summary of how your story will unfold…
Finding Your Story
Identify a theme or idea that can guide your colours, shapes, and overall brooch design.
Develop the Surface
Use your favourite Twist Cane veneers (or any other veneers featuring favourite pattern techniques).
Design and Construction
Explore two distinct brooch types with different structural approaches.
Finishing and Presentation
Learn assembly and professional finishing techniques that elevate your work.
Whether taken on its own or as a follow-up to Twist Canes, Building Better Brooches is a chance to translate your favourite veneers into wearable, collectible art.
By the end, you’ll have a brooch that not only showcases your creativity and craftsmanship, but captures your story in a wearable narrative ready to share with the world.
Registration FOR BUILDING BETTER BROOCHES
opens IN early April
Complete this form and we’ll KEEP IN TOUCH AS THIS SECOND DEBUT DATE APPROACHES
HOW MY COURSES WORK
Each MasterClass is a live-event workshop, experienced in real time with a cohort of fellow students from around the world.
• Weekly content drops with new prerecorded videos and supporting text.
• No Zoom appointments, just watch and work on your own schedule.
• Interactive comment threads for questions, peer-to-peer support, and in-lesson feedback.
• Mentorship from me throughout the duration of the live event.
You’ll learn at your own pace, while still being part of a vibrant, active, creative community.
Two Paths, One Purpose
Dive into the twists and iterations of Twist Canes.
Bring your veneers to life in Building Better Brooches.
Whether you choose to do one, the other, or both, each of these new online MasterClass cohort events will deepen your connection to design, surface, and craftsmanship in polymer clay.
LET’S KEEP IN TOUCH…
This webpage will continue to evolve with further details about each of these new MasterClass courses.
But Subscribers are always the first to know, the first to see, and the first in line…