I’m digesting the ideas and information from the Synergy conference and may be rolling out new materials for weeks.
These new polymer clay earrings by Judy Kuskin were jaw-dropping (to use Ponsawan’s terms). By the time I got back to the gallery to buy some, she had sold out.
Don’t they remind you of the primitive ones by Philadelphia Perishables we looked at a few months back? There must be a tribal trend in the air.
Seeing Katherine Dewey’s work up close was stunning too. The detail and the power of this “Family Tree” piece was amazing.
The slides from my speech are available here. You may be able to glean some Synergy excitement and ideas just from following along.
At the Synergy conference I’m catching up with those polymer clay folks who fly under our internet radar and are hard to track - like Virginia’s Cindy Silas. She doesn’t have much of an online presence for her dynamite polymer clay/PMC work. It’s an impressive marriage of the two materials.
Clay pushed through open-work metal must be an idea whose time has come. The concept popped up on Susan Lomuto’s site and she’s experimented with it impressively as well.
My nagging about creating an online presence is paying off. Dan Cormier swears that the Cormier/Holmes site is nearly ready for prime time.
The set-up day was exhausting. Classes start early tomorrow. Need my beauty sleep.
Here are a couple of openwork polymer clay pieces by Maryland’s Keith Brown to tantalize you this Monday morning.
After looking at this for a while I’m still not sure how he constructs his works and I’m intrigued. You can see that Keith has mastered the technique if you look at his bowls and trays.
Light and shadow, positive and negative - a mystery to start your week. Thanks to Bettina Welker who pointed out the new additions.
Donna Kato has provided a weekend treat for us. Just when I think canes are so “over” and boring, Donna brings back canes that pack a wallop.
Her end caps are genius and her palette is simply lovely. She describes how she cuts thickish slices and bakes her big beads on cornstarch to minimize distortion.
Return to your studio with renewed enthusiasm. Thanks, Donna (and thanks to Barb Fajardo who spotted the new beads).
A jolt of color to start your week. Ohio’s skies are very gray and I’m drawn to Gera Scott Chandler’s bright polymer clay poppy theme on her new framed compositions.
The Vancouver artist is launching into the year with some new box designs as well. The photos are on her Flickr site.
I’m a little slow getting started this week. Go check out Kim and her fun links while I get my brain in gear.
Several trends emerge as I study last year’s posts. The first is the explosion of Etsy where you’ll find 982 pages of polymer clay works offered for sale today. Interesting pieces, like those of Pennsylvania’s LaBeana (Lauren Cole) pictured here, jump out as fresh and new from this vast reservoir of talent.
Three other 2007 events seem especially significant - the new NPCG web site which reveals a newly invigorated group, the Craft/MakerFaire movement (and Leslie Blackford’s polymer clay entré into that group), the revitalization of the American Craft Council (and the magazine).
There’s also the phenomenal growth of art blogging. That’s for later this week.
Don’t get too comfortable this Monday. Take a look at the edgy polymer clay work of Philadelphia’s “Perishables.” The Etsy artist calls his works, “Unusual, ostentanious creatures destined to enhance the visual identity of all those who wear it.” “Don’t wear it if you’re trying to be ignored,” he says.
The artist includes nuts, stones, shells, seeds and other found items among organic-looking polymer forms that writhe and undulate. The ear plugs make me wince and the models look tribal and angry. Still, I can’t look away from these eccentric pieces.
Good things for shaking up your sensibilities this week. Ronna Weltman sent the link.
Understanding Etsy
If the Etsy, DIY, craft mafia phenomena seem baffling, be sure to read Rob Walker’s piece in Sunday’s NYTimes. He paints a clear picture of the movement (70,000 Etsy sellers, average age 34, $4.3 million in sales in November) and hints at what it means and where it’s headed. Thanks to Rachel Carren for sending the article along.
Judy Dunn has done some clever things with simple polymer clay shapes. By combining a single shape covered with companion patterns in eye-pleasing palettes, she’s created an exciting new series that she calls Shibori.
Again we see how working in a group (see the earlier post on Dayle Doroshow’s theory about making multiples) forces artists to explore and refine…and ultimately improve their concepts. You can see this theory working as you scroll through Judy’s slideshow.
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