Dianne Hayes Quarles is a polymer clay artist and jewelry
designer. She is known for her hand-sculpted faces capturing the beauty of people of the African Diaspora. She is a lifelong designer and craftsperson with a previous background in clothing and textile arts. Dianne began designing beaded jewelry in 2001 after joining her sister and mother in their fine art company, Maruva DQ. The name was created to represent four generations of creative Black women in her family. Under the tutelage of her mother, she discovered the versatility of polymer clay which became her favorite medium. Dianne’s work has been exhibited in museums and juried art shows and received an award from the National Polymer Clay Guild.
Dianne’s jewelry sculptures are miniature masterpieces. She hand sculpts each face to give each one a unique personality and attitude. Working under magnification, it can take hours, sometimes days to get one distinct face just right. Once the character is formed, it is then adorned to fit its personality and character. She creates detailed adornments using polymer clay, hand beading, semiprecious gems and other materials to create a striking piece of wearable art. Each creation is an artistic conversation piece you can show off wherever you go!
As the daughter of a former Tuskegee Airman and career Air Force officer, Dianne grew
up traveling the world. This exposure gave her an international perspective and
appreciation of her heritage and culture which has greatly influenced her artistic
perspective.
Artist Statement
“My inspiration comes from my culture and people of African descent. There is so much
beauty, character and energy in our features and cultures. I capture the pride, beauty
and magnificence of people of the African diaspora in the jewelry and other works that I create.
I began sculpting faces in polymer clay when I noticed the lack of faces of Black women in jewelry. I saw many elegant, beautiful cameos but only one with the face of a Black woman so I started sculpting my own Black faces. I sculpt each face into a unique individual with its own character so no two are alike. Then I create detailed
ornamentation to adorn and reflects the character of the individual. My series, “Maruvian Women and Men”, depicts the positive images of people that are unapologetically black. I want each piece to be a one-of-a-kind miniature masterpiece of art to wear.
My media is primarily polymer clay, fine beads and semiprecious gems.
