Are you ready for the eclipse? It’s all the rage in the US and we hardly know what to expect. Since our Colorado group is near the path, we’ve created some solar-themed big bead totems for a swap, brushed PearlEx powders into our hair and tried on our eclipse glasses. We’re psyched! The sun/moons are […] Read more
Texas’ Randee Ketzel shows off her submission for the Breast Cancer Resource Center’s annual gala. Randee made the flowers for Cancer, Don’t Bug Me in Carol Simmon’s class and added her own sculpted iridescent bugs. The creation will be modeled by Randee’s friend and cancer survivor Darla Breazle. While it’s not exactly beachwear, a project […] Read more
Texas’ Randee Ketzel provides us with this weekend’s pile of bling. She’s stockpiling her imitation opal cabs for sale at the upcoming IPCA retreat in Ohio. She’ll be working with these babies and demoing how to set them in bronze bezels (plus teaching a pre-retreat class). Can’t come? Take a look at Randee’s recent book, Polymer […] Read more
Doesn’t the name, BeadUnsupervised, intrigue you? The thing is, Carol Beal’s work looks unsupervised in the most delightful way. She mixes her media (fiber, felt, glass, wire and more) with abandon and she isn’t shy about color. She uses whatever materials and colors strike her fancy. Carol’s background is in illustration and design and she […] Read more
These 1-inch squares from Missouri’s Chris Kapono are packed with color and movement. Textured strips, rolls and balls of polymer have a surprising impact crammed into small spaces. They remind us that we can make a big splash with a few tools and a little clay. See Chris’ gallery on ClayLessons and her sales site […] Read more
Opal has tickled the “faux rock” area of my brain since Donna Kato offered her free online tutorial. Camille Young, Randee Ketzel, Liz Hall and others devised their recipes. My husband’s turned walnut bowl and a looming show deadline gave me the perfect opportunity to try out my own color combinations and mixtures. Though I […] Read more
Italy’s Ilenia Moreni describes her rugged Double Stud bangle as an ethnic-organic piece. The band is faux leather with faux bone and turquoise. It probably won’t surprise you to learn that Ilenia designs and produces costumes and accessories for theater, role playing and reeactment. The drama leaps out of her big bold art. Here’s her […] Read more
Start your week with a big helping of polymer pie from Madrid’s Fabi. She heaps up nine polymer clay decorative bowls in graduated sizes. The shaping, carving and painting of white polymer makes these into a most appetizing pile of saucers that stack up into a lovely sculpture. You can see Fabi’s progress from white to […] Read more
Laurie Mika has taken color to opulence and beyond! She’s piled on the layers of polymer, stamps, paints, metallics, inks and jewels to achieve a whole new level of splendor. This mosaic was inspired by the Indian sari trims Laurie found on her recent trip to Sydney. When you examine the large version of this snippet […] Read more
Liz Hall and Randee Ketzel are leading a resurgence of polymer artists taking another run at making a believable opal. Their techniques are coming mighty close to fooling the eye and driving the rest of us crazy figuring out how they do it. Liz (left) is partial to boulder and Yowah Opals. She says, “I […] Read more
