by Dayle Doroshow on November 18, 2011 · 4 comments
Taking yourself out of your usual surroundings can be an eye-opening experience. Here are three favorite places that combine beautiful surroundings with an inspirational learning experience. Each of these places embraces and offers polymer clay workshops.
John Campbell Folk in the mountains of western NC, is “a place where folks come together to have a creative and fun learning experience.” They offer more than 800 workshops a year!
Artfest in Port Townsend WA, the original alternative arts retreat, offers a wealth of mixed media workshops. The beautiful location, evening events, as well as the finest teachers set this event apart. “People leave with a renewed sense of their artistic selves and a recharged battery.”
La Cascade, the artist retreat of Gwen Gibson in southern France, offers weeklong workshops in polymer clay and mixed media. (The photo is my polymer postcard from Provence.) The workshops take place in a beautiful medieval village with a studio open 24/7. Workshops combine field trips, food cooked by a chef and fabulous art-making.
guest post from Dayle Doroshow
Art Speaks is my mantra when I make a mistake in my polymer art. Here’s a secret: sometimes Art knows better than the artist!
When I damage a piece and change my design to incorporate the flaw, the Art Muse often gifts me with something much more compelling than my original design.
My Humpty-Dump-Teapot was a 3D teapot that crushed from its own weight in the oven. I couldn’t bear to toss it, so I mounted the shards as a wall piece, and voila – an award winning piece!
I say Art Speaks also when something unexpected says “Here I Am!”
I created the surface treatment for this candle holder, cut it out and applied it. Later while clearing up my workspace I saw the leftover cutout, already shaped perfectly for a necklace. All I did was ripple it into flowing lava. The Pele’s Offering necklace was born.
guest post by Ann Kruglak
Rather that looking at classic images, this time I searched my family tree for inspiration for a polymer face cane. I never knew my maternal grandmother but I cherished a pin that captured her beauty as a young girl. I decided to recreate that image in my latest mosaic cane.
The cane, which I built from extruded squares in six sections, measured 5″ x 7″ x 1-1/2″. Read more about it in the post, Grand mama, what big eyes you have!, on my blog.
guest post from Julie Eakes
by Genevieve Williamson on November 15, 2011 · 81 comments
When my art teacher husband told me he had decided to add polymer clay to his high school 3D design class I was thrilled!
Naively I thought it would be pretty easy to help him write the curriculum for his 10th-12th grade students. It wasn’t until we actually got to work that I realized our biggest hurdle would be condensing the mountain of skills, techniques and information available to fit ten, 80-minute sessions. Onward!
We ordered required reading materials based on the Polymer Art Archive bibliography, poured over the internet and started sharing the pasta machine. Basic supplies were ordered and arrived within a week. So what’s next?
Well, we’d love to have your help! Beyond conditioning, baking and basic studio safety, what four or five foundational polymer clay skills should be included in the lessons? Leave your comment here or write me directly at jibbyandjuna@comcast.net
guest post by Genevieve Williamson
