What started out as a small bowl by Baltimore’s Linda Loew became a layered, moody pendant.
A photo transfer of a man stares off into the distance from the second layer topped by a multicolored oval frame on top.
Turns out that this bowl wanted to be a pendant.
Just because you’ve made a bowl doesn’t mean it can’t morph into something else. See more on Instagram.
Enough with the cold weather already! For those of you in my frigid hemisphere, here’s something different from Australia’s Heidi Helyard. It’s summer there.
Heidi unleashes hot colors, streaking them across this textured bowl. I feel better already.
If you need more warmth and frivolity, go find her on Instagram and shop in her store.
And then if you still need something to keep you snuggly, join us over on StudioMojo. On Saturday morning we dish about what’s happening and dream up new designs while we warm up our clay and wake up our mojos. It’s fun! Come out and play.
This bowl from Ireland’s Aoife Smyth Murphy (HookedOnPolymer) feels welcoming and helps us greet 2019 with grace.
The lotus-like trinket bowl opens to whatever comes its way. It’s a hopeful metaphor for a new year.
Happy 2019!
These sweet little footed polymer bowls from Portland’s Laurel Swetnam were part of an annual swap. Luscious palette with a hint of northwest patterning.
Who doesn’t have room on a windowsill or dresser for one little memento?
This year we have only the office phone and a rationed amount of bandwidth on the network but you probably won’t mind short posts, will you?
I hesitate to feature my own work but when I run out of research time, it’s the best option. Here’s the 11″ diameter bowl I inlaid last week.
I was happy to get back to my easy stripes at the Virginia conference. Rather than fight against doing the “same old, same old” I welcomed the ease of the familiar. And I had Lindly Haunani nearby to give me color guidance.
I laid narrow strips of veneer into a shallow groove in the spalted maple bowl turned by my husband, Blair Davis. There’s something comforting in knowing that the bowl is made from the tree across the street. “Spalted” is a fancy word for rotted and the tree had to go. You can see a few in-process shots on my Instagram.
Now I can get to composing this week’s Saturday newsletter and gathering up the last tidbits that surfaced at the end of Shrine Mont. Just as we were packing up, people were sharing their “one-last-thing.” And there was a sudden spring crop of tutorials online this week. Join us over at StudioMojo for the scoop.
California’s Syndee Holt is happily going rogue with this modern pendant made of distressed circles captured by a loose black grid.
Syndee works in threes so you’ll find two more examples of this dot/grid combination on her Instagram.
She has worked for Polyform Products for years developing designs, mixing colors, and trying out products. A good gig, eh? She shares some of her own tutorials and experiments on her blog and there’s a cool extruded coiled bowl post there now if you’re looking for a playful way to start your week.
You may have thought you’d done bowls, You remember all those little round ones we made? Then along comes the UK’s Angela Pike (BeadMeUpButtercup) with her first go at Helen Breil’s bowl tutorial.
Here’s Angela on Facebook and Instagram, The textures highlight the orange and blue glow of this retro bowl. Angela followed Helen’s instructions to the letter for her first try. Use your signature colors and your veneer patterns to put your own spin on them.
Helen is very methodical and her instructions are thorough. Looking for a no-fail fun project? This could be it.
Virginia’s Tina Wujick cuts thick letters from polymer blends and connects them over a glass form. Sometimes she strengthens the joins with some Genesis thick medium (or other polymer glue).
There’s no rhyme or reason, you can’t read any message here but it’s a great teacher’s gift or just fun to enjoy. This photo of ingredients fills in the blanks.
Tina’s project should keep you busy while I play in Virginia. Look for fun photos all week.
Elizabeth Wood chose the word “visible” for 2017 as she committed to completing 10 larger pieces during the year.
She describes April’s bowl as Deconstructed Polymer. It’s a macrame mix of polymer and waxed cord that she had fun making even though it took more time than she anticipated.
Hundreds of slices of clay with striped edges sprout from the sides of the bowl. You can see her progress this year on Instagram. You can also see the changes she went through during her journey through making 365 beads.
Her project is indeed making Elizabeth more visible!
Boston’s Betsy Baker was pushing hard to get ready for the St. Paul ACC show last week. She gave herself a little diversion from jewelry production to make a series of ring bowls which share the same grunge-meets-elegant aesthetic. The copper colored lining on this one plays nicely against the concrete-like exterior.
If you look at Betsy’s Instagram, you can see how she loads her post earrings into the oven. Wouldn’t you guess that those are toilet paper rolls that have been flattened and pierced with holes for the posts?
Her improvised holder allows her to fire the front of the earrings and hold them upright so that any back details are baked at the same time. When you’re preparing for shows, every time-saving trick helps.
