by Cynthia Tinapple on September 6, 2010 · 0 comments
Need a Kathleen Dustin polymer piece to complete your smashing ensemble? Now that she’s added a shop to her site, you don’t have to wait for the next ACC show!
And speaking of shows, Seattle-based artist Stephanie Tomczak uses polymer clay, copper, and enamel to create jewelry inspired by the nature of the life cycle. Tomczak’s work is now on view through September 9th at the Heidi Lowe Gallery in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.
This faux coral necklace is from her Oceanic Gems Collection. (via Wearable Art Blog) She gives a great overview of her studio, her process and her display on her blog.
When Maggie Maggio quietly fiddles and fusses at a retreat, you know that she’s brewing a new scheme. She generously agreed to share with you her latest development, polymer clay split ring chains. Making this design was a relaxing way to look busy, get rid of scrap and have great looking new jewelry. By the end of the week we had heaps of links. I got out my camera and you can see the resulting video in the right column.
Students of Maggie and Lindly’s color book will probably pounce on the concept and come up with great variations. We only scratched the surface. Many thanks to Maggie for showing us her new method which she’s calling Maggie’s Missing Link.
Download the split ring template sheet and read Maggie’s latest blog post here.
by Cynthia Tinapple on September 2, 2010 · 2 comments
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Every day presents new ideas. Shall I work with metals, polymer clay, resin or felt and fiber, or do I want to stitch beads? Does my mood reflect cutting edge modern, vintage, or something in between? My creative world can change on a whim,” says jewelry artist Barbara Briggs.
She reflects the sentiment of a growing number of artists who move easily between other media and polymer as their vehicle of choice. This cross-pollenization is widening our circle of friends.
Barbara’s site is a treasure trove, including these polymer-handled makeup brushes and this Asian Influence pendant.
Niche Awards
The deadline for entries for the prestigious 2011 NICHE Awards competition has been extended to September 17. They’d like to encourage participation from our community.
There are new categories this year including: basketry, outdoor art, wedding jewelry, paper, and religious/inspirational art. If you meant to apply but forgot the date, jump on this second chance.
by Cynthia Tinapple on September 1, 2010 · 6 comments
This RoseBall polymer necklace from Italy’s Laura Bocchi is an elegant solution to jewelry construction. She embeds ball chain in polymer as a design element and bakes the entire necklace.
Laura has also used guitar strings to achieve the same effect.
I’ll be teaching a polymer sampler class at our new art center this fall (there’s still room!) and my eye is drawn to smart, simple designs as I think about class projects.
Dan Friedlander’s series of 4″x4″ white polymer tiles is a study of textures. This Colorado artist makes the process sound like a meditation – sculpting the clay with only his hands, firing the tiles in a solar oven, and giving each a poetic title. You can see how he digs deep to come up with his wide range of variations…and titles! Ann Kruglak sent the link along.
