Monthly Archive for March, 2008

Crocenzi’s Polymer Tesserae

Published
by
Cynthia Tinapple
on March 10, 2008
in Artists
. 4 Comments

California mosaic artist Susan Crocenzi mixes tempered glass and polymer clay in unusual ways, an example of a hybrid use of polymer to get your week off to a fresh start. There are more examples of her tesserae mosaics on her Flickr site.

I have no idea how one works with tempered glass but the effect is watery and rich with color. You can read more about Susan here and here while she gets her web site ready. It’s ready.

Thanks to Cassy Muronaka for sending the link.

Kato redesigns

Published
by
Cynthia Tinapple
on March 7, 2008
in Artists
. 3 Comments

Friday’s a great time to tidy my desktop. Be sure to see Donna Kato’s new polymer clay split pods. Just when you think her design is perfect, she turns it on its head and comes up with something even better.

Arizona’s Amy Gebhardt had these velvety smooth, touchable vessels in the Synergy gallery. I’d love to show you more but her site’s under construction (sigh).

Polymer clay book artist Geraldine Newfry did her taxes (good girl) and she’s been using flick! artists database software that tracks her works. It looks fantastic and I plopped down the $30. Does anyone else have experience with this product?

“You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.”
Jack London

Boston’s Betsy Baker

Published
by
Cynthia Tinapple
on March 6, 2008
in Artists
. 17 Comments

One thing led to another on Betsy Baker’s web site. Her “illustrated transfer” technique intrigued me. She transfers portions of found images (using catalogs and magazines) onto polymer, then alters them with colored pencils. But that was just the beginning. Hang onto your mouse.

Betsy is part of Handmade Boston (major fun) and one of her favorite links is Just Jewelry. Just Jewelry happened to link to Facere Gallery where Cynthia Toops and Sarah Wilbanks had some pieces I hadn’t seen.

You’ll want to visit Betsy’s site when you have time to linger and luxuriate. There’s much to see.

Preston’s Modern Manuscripts

Published
by
Cynthia Tinapple
on March 5, 2008
in Artists and Sculpture/Creatures
. 3 Comments

Nancy Preston of NY sent the polymer clay piece at the left to Synergy for the auction and I finally had a chance to see her work up close.

In her art the medieval manuscript meets contemporary media and a traditional aesthetic meets modern visual vocabulary.

Her most recent work (pictured at the right) has even richer colors and more layers of meaning. It’s visually dense and delicious.

Spring Cleaning Tidbits

Published
by
Cynthia Tinapple
on March 4, 2008
in Artists
. 2 Comments

Feels like time for polymer clay spring cleaning. Here’s a list of all the notices, fun links and loose ends that have been building up over the past couple of weeks:

  • A Russian tutorial of running shoes from Ehidna that appeals to the kid in me
  • Step by Step Beads (look at the free Christi Friesen download) is hungry for good polymer clay projects for the magazine. Check out the writer’s guidelines and contact editor-in-chief Leslie Rogalski.
  • Ronna Weltman (new pictures on her site) is doing an article about cool tools. Send her a note about your favorites.
  • Victoria Hughes is offering a special on her DVDs and she’s including handmade polymer samples with her books. More on this and other class news on her site. And have you heard her interview on craftcast?
  • The painted polymer clay pendants pictured above look like spring. They’re from England’s Eva Soehjar (guessing at the last name). Thanks to Judy Dunn and Melanie West for the link. See how Melanie’s bangles have evolved.

Ponsawan Sila’s daughter was in a bad auto accident. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.

Blackford pieces quirky, intense

Published
by
Cynthia Tinapple
on March 3, 2008
in Artists and Sculpture/Creatures
. 7 Comments

Leslie Blackford’s polymer clay art is quirky and powerful in its personal intensity. Most artists work hard for the kind of unselfconsciousness that flows easily from Leslie.

Currently her day job keeps her out of the studio, a difficult circumstance for someone so dependent on art to communicate.

Her “Pain of Words” sculpture in the Synergy gallery (pictured at left) was particularly poignant. She also had a silly, delightful collection of jewelry like these jellyfish and an assortment of strange creatures made from pods and twigs found around her rural Kentucky home.

Take a look at works in her Deviant gallery. Or if you’re curious, check all the posts we’ve done on her over the past three years.