One person. One studio.
The Process
From idea to object — how the work gets made
Every piece starts as something I can’t stop thinking about. I make it to get it out of my head. By the time it’s finished, it belongs to someone else.Alina Bobyr — San Diego
The idea
Something that won’t leave me alone
Most pieces start with an image I can’t locate anywhere — not in a reference, not in a photograph, just in my head. Sometimes it’s anatomical. Sometimes it’s a texture. Sometimes it’s the feeling of a thing more than the thing itself.
I keep a running document of fragments. A word. A shape. An emotion I haven’t named yet. When two of them connect, that’s usually when a piece begins.
Sculpting
Building it with my hands
Most pieces are built up in polymer clay, layer by layer, without a sketch. I don’t plan the final form before I start. The material has opinions, and I’m interested in what it wants to become.
Texture is applied by hand: tools, found objects, sometimes my own fingerprints. Some pieces start from silicone molds I cast from my own body — lips, breasts, nipples, fingers. I want each piece to carry evidence that a body made it.
Curing & finishing
The piece decides what it is
After curing, I sand, then paint in layers — base coat, glazing, dry brushing, sealing. Color decisions happen late. I don’t commit to a palette until the form is solid and I can see what it’s asking for.
Most pieces are sealed multiple times. Some get additional elements: resin, glass, natural stone, oyster shell, eggshell, leather, faux fur — and, once in a while, real human teeth. Jewelry gets sterling silver or stainless steel hardware. Nothing is rushed through finishing.
Letting go
One piece, one owner
No two alike. No editions, no reprints. When it sells, it’s gone — and I don’t try to reproduce it.
I photograph everything before it ships. Partly for records. Partly because after spending days with something, I need a way to remember it that doesn’t involve keeping it.
Materials I use
- Clay: Sculpey most of all, then Monster Clay, Premo, Fimo
- Silicone, and molds cast from my own body
- UV and epoxy resin
- Acrylic paint, soft pastel, mica powder
- Sterling silver, stainless steel, wearable hardware
- Glass, natural stones, oyster shells, chicken eggshells
- Leather, faux fur, fabric
- Found objects — and, rarely, real human teeth
- UV-cured matte and gloss top coats
What I won’t do
- Mass production
- Commission copies of existing pieces
- Rush timeline under two weeks
- Work I don’t believe in
The studio is a spare room in San Diego. There is no team, no assistant, no production schedule. Each object takes as long as it takes. That’s not a constraint — it’s the whole point.
Want something made for you?
Commissions are open. Describe your idea — as clearly or as vaguely as you want. I’m good at translating feelings into objects.
Start a commission