Germany’s Cornelia Brockstedt was trained as a goldsmith and she’s run a design agency for 17 years. Her training is evident in her cleanly designed and impeccably finished polymer art like this new Winter Blues brooch.
Conny is fond of irregular and surprising shapes. She challenges herself with what seem impossible constructions like her entry in this year’s IPCA awards. Skinner-blended extruded strands wove through a central structure to create a complex geometric pendant.
She’ll be teaching her Wave minimalist 3-part bangle at a post-conference Synergy workshop. See the whole range of Conny’s experiments and discoveries on Flickr and Facebook.
We’re coming right up on polymer-covered egg season and Illinois’ Jael Thorp is way ahead of the crowd. She winds strips of polymer pattern around hollow chicken shells.
This time she resisted the urge to antique the patterns with a wash of darker color and let the vibrant colors speak for themselves. See more of Jael’s eggs on her Facebook, Flickr and blog pages.
I’m taking a brief digital sabbatical and visiting family. I’ll be back with you mid-week.
The IPCA International Awards have been announced and can all be admired at this link.
The Grand Prize Winner is Australia’s Wendy Jorre de St Jorre who explains her sculpture this way, “I love horses, particularly the graceful way they move. So much energy, yet it can appear effortless. I own a Quarter Horse mare, Flame, and even at 23 she can still put on a show when she’s in the mood. The IPCA theme of in the round got me thinking of movement, circular movement, prancing in a circle, energy, grace. The idea began there.” See more of Wendy on Flickr and Pinterest.
Click on the image from Georg Dinkel to understand the impact and the complexity of his latest polymer artwork which won the Member’s Choice Grand Prize. Yes, the arches and spires and fretwork are all polymer attached to a wooden sub-structure that houses his tv, DVR, hard drive and speakers. For months Georg revealed glimpses of his process, showing bits and pieces of this 60″x60″x16″ construction on Facebook and his website.
Over the past several years Georg has created a series of incredibly detailed shrines, elaborate polymer constructions based on gothic architecture. They pay homage to contemporary technology, the religion of today’s cultures. His digital devotional pieces ask what we really worship and why.
These miniature polymer landscapes look so well kempt at a time when a glance out the window shows mine in disarray. We’ll focus on the bucolic ring from Russia’s Evgeniya Aleksandrova and the succulents from Ukraine’s Daria Tarasenko and leave my outside chores for another day.
The bluish greens and hint of pink in the succulent planter/pendant look quite springy and fashionable. Daria has added some embellishment to mugs that you might find of interest too. Here she is on Pinterest and Etsy.
Evgeniya puts loads of texture into the smallest acreage and creates a feeling of a peaceful home to wear on your finger. There are more seasons and scenes on Etsy. Thanks to Karan Cross for sending the link along.
The young Czech colorist, Dana Phamova, wants to try her Molecule earrings in every color combination. A look at her Instagram and Flickr pages shows you how she plays with color and replicates shifts of light.
It’s no secret that I like to ease into the week, starting with something simple that teaches me how colors work as I look for combinations that sing. These delightful color studies would be a perfect (and very wearable) way to begin. Dana shows more of her studies on her site as well.
Lindly Haunani’sCrayon Lei in Oranges and Greens is one of eight polymer treasures in the Spectrum exhibit on view through July 10 at the Racine Art Museum. The lei was created in 1998 when Lindly was experimenting with inclusions.
Wax from crayon shavings were mixed into the polymer and melted off during baking. The residual pigment colored the translucent polymer in a mottled pattern. Color is a central element to all three of Lindly pieces in the show.
Lindly gave me a Crayon Lei as an engagement gift that same year so it’s especially near and dear to my heart and I’m pleased to share it with you. Read more about her process in this PAA feature.
Pieces from Pier Voulkos, Dan Cormier and Jeff Dever are also part of the RAM show which focuses on works that use color as a defining principle in form and design. Read more and see the rest of the polymer works in the exhibit on the PolymerArtArchive.
I’ll forward my pile of tiles to Germany in one batch after April 30. You still have time! US artists can forward entries to: Cynthia Tinapple, 1 Hartford Court, Worthington, OH 43085.
An Instagram page shows a selection of entries. If yours hasn’t shown up on there, email me a photo and I’ll add it.
Dottie McMillan
The polymer community was saddened by the loss of California’s Dottie McMillan. She was one of the first people I linked up with on the Prodigy bulletin board way back when. She was a writer, artist and good friend in the polymer community. Here’s an earlier PCD feature about her work.
These carved polymer bangles from Celie Fago jangle with silver, polymer, beaded and gemstone charms. The designs and totems add to the allure and make the wearer instantly exotic.
Celie offers a 4-day polymer and PMC class in October to create these bracelets in her Vermont studio. See how Celie integrates polymer into her very sophisticated metal work to create fabulous jewelry. You’ll find her on Etsy and Facebook.
Jon Stuart Anderson breaks out of the pack again with his amusing sardines pendant. Look closely and you’ll see the silvery dimensional canes that make his fish alluring.
Jon’s studio is littered with experiments and jokes like this, including some new ideas for guitar designs. He’s hard to keep up with but you can try on his Facebook pages and website.
Just when you think you know where Milan’s Alessia Bodini is headed with her extrusions, she swoops in a different direction. On this blue necklace, she flattens an extrusion into a ribbon, loops it over and over, adds her own marks and threads it onto a choker.
She extrudes graduated purple polymer and joins lengths of the resulting triangles into a square pendant that teases the eye. It’s as if Alessia simply has to put her own quirky stamp on each design.
She’s gathered lots more examples on Flickr and Facebook.
