by Cynthia Tinapple on September 19, 2011 · 8 comments
Artists are testing the limits of Kato clay. This bangle from Laurie Prophater is constructed of thin strings of copper colored Kato that have been wound decoratively around a pop can and embellished with pearls on wire. I was surprised at its strength…and beauty. Laurie links to design sites on her blog. If you want to see her personal work, you’ll have to go to her Flickr pix.
Rebecca Watkins built a strong faux wood prototype bangle out of intertwined extruded triangular strings of Kato. She brushed it with dark metallic powder and sanded off the excess. Her minimalist approach is very appealing.
I can’t believe I’m uploading to the blog mid-air on my flight home from Denver. Southwest offers wifi for $5! By creating an in-flight post I can avoid testing the limits of my marriage by heading straight for the computer when I get home.
by Cynthia Tinapple on August 29, 2011 · 9 comments
Gera Scott Chandler shows her “starter sheet” of polymer that ends up covering a series of her fusion bangles.
The luminous sheet is a sandwich of polymer, foils, translucent clay and alcohol inks. Loose graphic designs are stamped and scored into the clay.
The big sheet is cut into pieces which are fitted and smoothed over bangle bases.
The black polymer bases underneath make the overlay glow like faux stained glass. Socket joints stretch and close easily over the elastic that holds them together.
A starter sheet is an efficient way to produce a series of companion pieces. It helps, of course, to begin with a signature palette and lots of experience with foils and inks. You’ll see what I mean when you study the colors in Gera’s Flickr site.
by Cynthia Tinapple on August 3, 2011 · 5 comments
Ponsawan Silapiruti says that she has so many ideas she has to offload some of them to her polymer art to keep her head from exploding.
She completed 365 rings for her Ring A Day project with concepts left to spare and she’s moved on to bracelets.
Wearable wands were a result of seeing the Harry Potter movie on an outing with her college student son last week. Ponsawan decided that the movie’s bulky magical objects should be easier to wear and more fashionable. “Have fun with your crazy idea, don’t be shy,” she advises.
She keeps an entire site devoted to her free tutorials. Ponsawan’s watermelon bangle still ranks as one of my all-time crazy favorites.
by Cynthia Tinapple on March 24, 2011 · 7 comments
Wendy Malinow was decked out in polymer finery when we met up. On one arm she wore her signature antler bracelet paired with an early pebble bracelet by me (yea!) and topped off with a new birch bangle with skull, teeth and bone dangles. She has long arms! Organic with a strange, delightful twist.
The branches look separate but form one incredibly realistic stack. She admits that the piece took at least four bakings with a metal armature under the main branch to provide stability. The textures fool both the eye and the touch.
These pictures were taken late at night in the kitchen. I added a couple more here and here to give you the full effect. Check out her bracelet of thorns on her Etsy shop too.
Artists are testing the limits of Kato clay. This bangle from Laurie Prophater is constructed of thin strings of copper colored Kato that have been wound decoratively around a pop can and embellished with pearls on wire. I was surprised at its strength…and beauty. Laurie links to design sites on her blog. If you want to see her personal work, you’ll have to go to her Flickr pix.
