Jessica Schloss uses polymer clay to bring dragons to life, but they are not the fire-breathing, princess-kidnapping beasts of lore — these are cutesy creatures, some playing in the snow, others decked out in rain gear.

Schloss, a client service representative of the University Communications team, entered 15 dragon sculptures, which she’d been working on since October, into the ArtWalk. The inspiration for the majority of her pieces came from an event titled “Sculptober.” This event is put on by Dragons and Beasties, an online company that also makes polymer dragon sculptures.

“Scupltober” presents a new theme each day to inspire participants. This year’s themes included rainbows, snow, galoshes and patterns.

Schloss generally shares her artwork online through Etsy and DeviantArt. She was excited to participate in the Pullman ArtWalk for the second year in a row.

“I wanted to be a part of the ArtWalk so I had the opportunity to interact locally and from person to person,” Schloss said, “rather than through a screen.”

The connections made with other artists and with community members at the ArtWalk are some of Schloss’s favorite aspects.

“Before the ArtWalk, I didn’t have much of a community here to discuss and share art with,” Schloss said. “Now, I know so many people that I get to see every year at the ArtWalk.”

Children are generally attracted to Schloss’ work, as she designs her sculptures to be child-like and colorful.

“A lot of my artwork appeals to children because it’s cute and fun,” Schloss said. “This year, [I was] set up in the RTOP next to the window, so I love seeing them press their faces against the glass trying to get a closer look.”