Inspired by Christine Dumont’s hollow bead online course, Kukel10 has built a big bead garden ornament that becomes even more interesting up close.
Ruffles, spikes, dots and disks, sit atop stripes and poetry. This piece will spark many conversations in her garden.
As long as we’re touring the garden, take a look at Shay Aaron’s polymer clay beets, radishes and other vegetable delights to wear.
There’s even more food jewelry on his Etsy site. If you have a hankering to grow something polymer, follow one of Shay’s tiny veggie tutorials.
Celie Fago admits that the high cost of silver was inhibiting her work until she asked herself, “Why not take this as a challenge and let the other materials do the heavy lifting?”
In response she began remaking heavy clasps and other carved solid silver pieces out of polymer embellished with little bits of metal clay.
Here you see one of her signature Ouroboros toggle clasps as she used to make it and as she’s making it now. She’s one of a growing number of artists who are using the rise in prices to nourish their creativity and revisit polymer clay. Read her full explanation. See more of her polymer/metal work in her Etsy shop.
Tending your garden
How does your garden grow? Illinois’ Zuda Gay Pease creates wearable polymer dahlias, sunflowers and other garden delights that require no weeding. She’s added leaves and buds to her line of pendants and beads. Enjoy this summer weekend.
Rebecca Watkins unravels the mystery of her textured beads with a quick (and free) visual tutorial. Her methods and tools may surprise you. She shows more examples on her Etsy site.
You may also enjoy the step-by-step look that Tory Hughes offers on her most recent “Tahitian Flora“ project. It’s educational to watch as she sketches her project before she begins.
Look closely and you’ll see that she forms the pieces into shallow cups in order to mimic the blossoms. She presses the flat pieces against her knuckle and bakes them on a paper cone to achieve a gentle shape. Tory promises another look at stringing as this project progresses.
School’s out! Jenn McGlon knows what’s coming up next! She and her friends over at SpookyTimeJingles are already gearing up for the Fourth of July with an offering of Americana art like these painted polymer Luettes.
The Spooky folks have jumped ahead to their favorite fall holiday as well.
Updates
A new, air dry polymer clay? DeCoRé is quite pricey but might be just the thing when you want to add inclusions that can’t take the heat of baking. Read more. Ronna Weltman sent us the link.
Julie Picarello’s new book, Patterns In Polymer, is a joy to read and to learn from! The copy is engaging and the techniques are dynamite.
The Green issue of the From Polymer to Art quarterly magazine has arrived. For U.S. readers, PolkaDotCreations carries this Netherlands publication.
