New York’s Joan Israel envisions her DNA like this large painting. That’s the effect that polymer has on many of us.
It seeps into the bloodstream and invades the brain until every molecule of us is pulsing with color and jumping with patterns.
If you visit her Instagram you’ll see how she sketches out her designs for bottles and paintings and then executes her vision with cane slices.
Nothing says Valentines Day to me more than old-fashioned conversation hearts. Arizona’s Barb Handy (barbiesbest) makes an exact copy in polymer that’s hard to resist.
They’re perfectly simulated from the chalky colors to the pink ink to the typeface. Her charms are made 1/4″ thick and drilled either vertically or horizontally. Barb has it down perfectly.
Happy Valentines Day!
Wafer thin slices of cane float toward you from this latest wall piece by Alev Gozonar made during her art residency in Ayvalik, Turkey.
The combination of translucence and dimension keeps your eyes diving down to see what more there is to discover.
If you’re a cane fan, Alev’s selection of canes both colored and patterned may make you want to make new designs for your own supply.
Study Alev’s way with large polymer and mixed media wall art on her portfolio and on Instagram
One of the most significant leaders in our craft is not well. It’s quiet at Atelier Hughes in downtown Santa Fe, home to polymer pioneer Tory Hughes.
Tory has always been attuned to the power of friends’ energy and she let me know that she can use the best thoughts, prayers, and memories that we can wing her way.
While Tory very much values your support, to lessen her distress about missed calls she asks that no one text or call her. Notes mailed to her address (1437 Paseo de Peralta, Santa Fe, NM 87501) would be wonderful.
Two lovely friends, Annie Houten and Cynde Tagg from Albuquerque, are looking after Tory’s day-to-day affairs and can be contacted.
In case you’re not acquainted with Tory’s legacy, enjoy this virtual tour from October 2017 when the studio was strung with her latest mobiles and full of pieces from decades of work. The mobiles balanced and swayed brightly in the New Mexico breezes. I like to think of them catching the energies you send her now.
Laurie Mika’s encrusted polymer heart dazzles us with its layer of charms and Milagros. Can you imagine what her stash of glittery bits and bobs must look like?
And the leaves topping off her Peace heart are equally rich and sumptuous. A big ceramic base was wrapped with polymer and covered with jewels and treasures. Her metallic finishes, upcycled gems, and dark rich colors give her works a regal air full of meaning.
A class with Laurie is still on my bucket list. Yours too?
I’m not sure what hearts and love tokens will make it into tomorrow’s StudioMojo. At the end of the week, I open my own stash of links sent in, ideas stowed away, new tools and tidbits I’ve stumbled on. I layer them on and a theme emerges. It feels like the word equivalent of Laurie’s process. What emerges isn’t predictable but it’s pretty darn juicy and fun. Join us on Saturdays!
The slim profile and clear blended colors on Deb Hart’s twist ballpoint pens put them a cut above others.
These are class samples from her second session in the RainbowBlend series. She turns well mixed Skinner blends into design elements that stand on their own.
Her March workshop for the Arizona guild features tips for making cane inlaid sculpted animals with a definite Southwest flavor.
Deb is on a roll! See what she’s up to on Instagram and Etsy.
Yes, many of us are smitten with heart designs like this Unbind My Heart from Vermont’s Christine Damm (Stories They Tell).
Christine is on a 14-day run of love challenges. Her titles (Noir and The Complexity of Love, for instance) make you stop to think about her intent. She uses veneers and acrylic paint to illustrate her bound heart here.
Follow her daily valentine sentiments on Facebook.
This lily bud from Colorado’s Phyllis Pollema Cahill hints at spring. Dark veins cut through the Skinner blended green and lavender petals.
Phyllis spent years as an illustrator which helps explain her thorough planning and construction of this vase. She’s also been trying out her carving skills on this necklace from her Symmetry/Asymmetry online class with Christine Dumont and Donna Greenberg.
Phyllis carefully documents her technique and product experiments on her blog which contains lots of DIY tips and solutions.
Phyllis shows she’s ready for a new season. Watch her bloom on Facebook and Instagram.
These thin hearts in sizzling hot colors were thank you gifts from Spain’s Fabi Perez Ajates to students in her classes in the Czech Republic and France.
“I love happy colors, a song to happiness and love of life,” she says.
Look more closely at Fabi’s happy hearts on Flickr. Are your hearts ready for the holiday?
Illinois’
Linda Webb (CreeksideStudio) reminds us that February 2 is Groundhog Day here in the US. Here’s her polymer mosaic pendant of Punxsutawney Phil who predicts how long our winter will last.
Linda makes her chunky geometric mosaics look easy on Instagram. She has an eye for animal portraits. For the rest of us, a pendant like this might require six more weeks of winter. Happy Groundhog Day.
If you’d like to catch up on what’s happening in the wider world of polymer, come on over to StudioMojo on Saturday mornings. We share lots of tidbits and treats and make sure that your mojo is happy and ready to dive in.
