Californian Dotty McMillan (here’s her latest book) showed me these bobbin beads she developed using a stash of old sewing machine parts from her fabric store manager daughter. Dotty was pleased to see a photo of Cynthia Toops’ bobbin necklace in Polymer Clay Color Inspirations. “We don’t do them the same, but it was good to see someone else had thought about using them and I wasn’t nuts,” says Dottie.
Here are links to four more examples (1, 2, 3, 4). She’s written a how-to article on the beads for a spring edition of Bead and Button magazine.
Dotty reminded me about our original online polymer group on the ancient Prodigy network. What year was that? Does anyone remember?
by Cynthia Tinapple on November 27, 2009 · 4 comments
Lauren Van Hemert has added a new line of focal beads and pendants like this Eye Chart to her collection. Click on the catalog tab on her new site to flip through her collection. You’ll see her experiments with image transfers onto colored clay and a bit of caning.
Lauren is masterful at incorporating historic, romantic and nostalgic image transfers into her polymer clay pieces. She’s only recently started adding canes to her ephemera. Read more about her evolving process on her blog.
Thanks to Susan Lomuto (DailyArtMuse) for the link.
by Cynthia Tinapple on November 26, 2009 · 4 comments
Each year this 8″x8″ polymer clay wall piece by Christi Friesen pretty much sums up my Thanksgiving. Today you’d have to add more organic vegetables and a spray of Pacific Ocean surf to get the full effect. Our celebration combines a wild mixture of California friends and family for which I am very thankful.
Of course I’m also thankful for you readers from around the globe. Perhaps that’s who Christi had in mind when she created Just a Face in the Crowd! Happy turkey day.
by Cynthia Tinapple on November 25, 2009 · 6 comments
More wings! This time they’re on “Angel”ina, the polymer clay fantasy sculpture of Nevada artist Nicole West (wingdthing).
Nicole has an uncanny ability to imbue her creations, from pin ups to pixies, with hyper real features and emotions. It’s easy to see why she was selected this year’s Most Promising Sculptor by her peers on the Deviant Art site.
I’m in the Hollywood vicinity and couldn’t resist the pull of Nicole West’s sexy creatures. Thanks to Andrea Polite for the link.
Californian Dotty McMillan (here’s her latest book) showed me these bobbin beads she developed using a stash of old sewing machine parts from her fabric store manager daughter. Dotty was pleased to see a photo of Cynthia Toops’ bobbin necklace in Polymer Clay Color Inspirations. “We don’t do them the same, but it was good to see someone else had thought about using them and I wasn’t nuts,” says Dottie.
