In 2018 we said goodbye to Tory Hughes, one of the polymer community’s true pioneers. This piece entitled The Path from Nothing to Something hints at the ethereal, celestial themes that appeared in Tory’s works.
To close out the year, enjoy one more walk through her Santa Fe studio and savor the richness of her work. We will miss her.
This 2.25″ x 3.25″ tiger lily pendant by Connecticut’s Lynne Ann Schwarzenberg picks up on 2019’s Living Coral, the color of the year according to Pantone. Lynne Ann shows it on Instagram and lists it on Etsy.
She’s expert at leaf and floral canes and she’s on track for the new year.
Ready to think about what 2019 has in store for us? Come on over to StudioMojo. This weekend we’ll be looking at the challenges and trends ahead. If your mojo needs a push to move up a notch, this is the place.
California’s Syndee Holt bypassed using scrap polymer for her mosaic jewelry based on Kim Korringa’s video. See them on Instagram.
Syndee pulled out her pan pastels and created a colorful abstract for her top layer of polymer.
This may sound confusing but it’s all explained in Kim’s video of her simple and quick way to play with a bit of clay. It makes a good warm-up exercise in case you’re in a post-holiday rut.
Merry Christmas! These Christmas trees from Ludmila Eveeva sparkle with jewels.
They are decorated with rhinestones, Swarovski pearls, and pendants. She tops them with ribbons and stars. Ludmila is an instructor with the Deco Craft Academy in Russia.
Enjoy a touch of elegance with your Christmas coffee and see the rest of her bejeweled polymer decorations on Instagram.
These Tres Reyes, make up an exotic three kings ornament set from New York’s Olga Ayala.
Olga calls herself a Nuyorican (Puerto Rican New Yorker) who grew up in the heart of Spanish Harlem in New York City.
Influenced by the music and cultures around her, she infuses her polymer works with those same rhythms and colors. Here she is on Facebook.
Feliz Navidad!
This week on Saturday’s StudioMojo we’ll be figuring out how to leave a few breadcrumbs around the studio so that when the holiday hubbub settles down, you will enthusiastically follow them back to your art.
The UK’s Bridget Derc has two 27 1/2″ square patio tables to cover with polymer tiles. She calculated how much clay she’d need and got busy.
Bridget shares many of her work in progress shots on Flickr. No two of the 18 tiles (each about 9″ square) are alike. Her meticulous arranging of the kaleidoscopic pieces is amazing.
She makes assembling hundreds of pieces look so effortless that we think, “Yeah, I could totally do that.” What is it about watching someone else work so diligently that allows us to forget the herculean effort involved?
Lots of clay, lots of math, lots of patience. Then lots of satisfaction having tea on your beautiful new tables.
Last year PCD watched her work on this smaller table.
What is it about the Dreaming in Color brooch by Italy’s Cecilia Leonini that feels calm, happy, and dreamy?
The gradation of her colors is masterful and the floating shapes (drawn and painted, I’m guessing) feel 3D.
The edges flip up to reveal hot red underneath. There’s texture in the base layer and a black shadow on the edges. Super cool and totally dreamy.
South Carolina’s Kathy Koontz (Flowertown_Originals) reminds us that there’s still time to make a gift or two like these small magnetic vases that would look so pretty on a fridge or a wall.
“The leaf imprint was done by pressing some leaves from my lantana bush into the clay before curing and then highlighting the design with white paint. Simple and minimalist,” she says.
Kathy offers polymer covered seam rippers, crochet hooks, and buttons among the items on her Etsy shop.
It’s faster (and more fun) to create something at home than it is to get caught up in the holiday shopping crowds.
New York’s Nicole Johnson takes a lighthearted approach to horror.
These grimacing big-eyed Christmas trees remind us that there are only eight days until Christmas. And at some point in the last minute frenzy, horror becomes a sensible way to cope.
We made Christmas trees at a young friend’s birthday party this weekend and It would seem that several of the young artists share Nicole’s vision. Their spontaneity tickles me.
See all Nicole’s quirky antics on Facebook and Instagram.
Imagine making this 10′ x 28″ triptych commission! New Jersey’s Donna Greenberg takes viewers on a deep dive to an ocean floor filled with her fantasy biosystems.
Donna’s studio must have been swimming in undersea pieces and bio parts for months.
Shapes that look strange and foreign on their own, come together in a believable new landscape. Her last step is to adjust the painted surfaces slightly to lead the eye comfortably through the new 10′ wonderland she created. Immerse yourself in the close-ups and in-process shots on Facebook.
Over at StudioMojo, we explore everything polymer from simple to sumptuous. This week we’ll also link you to the best tools of the year. Whether you’ve been naughty or nice, you’ll find something on the list that will tickle your fancy. You’re more than welcome to join our Saturday gathering.
