by Cynthia Tinapple on March 23, 2012 · 8 comments
It’s been a while since we’ve visited polymer bowl (and tile) maker Emily Squires Levine from Philadelphia.
Emily’s bowls usually include a thread of solid color among the cane slices to lead your eye along and to give the pieces a touch of whimsy. This 11″ tall pot includes a shock of grass along its rim.
Emily has also developed a way of arranging cane slices on a flat square and then coating the assemblage with resin to create accent tiles that can be used in kitchens.
These 3D accents with their smooth rounded edges beg to be examined closely. Oh, and don’t miss her egg collection.
Jeannie Havel (pcPolyzine) decided she needed to toot Emily’s horn and sent in the link. Thanks! Remember to find a deck of cards and measure some clay this weekend.
The polymer scrap from a guild challenge provided San Antonio’s Deb Tuchsen with a rainbow of leftovers. She stacked and spiraled them into a Kato-style cane. The end bits were layered into a Stroppel-inspired log.
The synergy of the techniques and colors added up to a Van Gogh-meets-Hundertwasser cuff! This art history lesson comes to you courtesy of equal parts serendipity, sharing and skill. Congrats to Deb for bringing it all together.
I don’t know if her entry was successful in the guild challenge but this is certainly a winner. Watch the whole process on her Flickr site.
Oregon’s Dede Leupold added these dramatic Gypsy earrings to her Etsy site recently. She embeds the silver wires into the polymer, fires the clay and suspends the amethyst clusters and topaz drops later.
Dede has a delicate touch in both caning and wireworking and finishes the backs with equal care.
The blues of Dede’s color palette are distinctive. Check out her Ode to Spode button photos on her Facebook page for more examples.
If you had any tired or timid thoughts this Monday, prepare to lose them. This shot of exhuberant, exotic polymer beads, called Same Same But Different, comes from Thailand’s Aow Dusdee.
Her beads are made into simple necklaces here. Her more elaborate works mix beads and fibers and polymer in constructions that drape the body.
Aow has added new images of “my crafty home” to her Flickr site. Crochet and polymer and color surround her in an inviting tropical home. Polymer beads hang in the doorways, pair up with tassels and embellish sculptures. Colors that might seem garish in other settings fit perfectly here.
It’s a big world out there and there are many, many ways to express yourself with polymer. A page from her sketchbook reads, “Everyone seems normal until you get to know them.” Happy Monday!
It’s been a while since we’ve visited polymer bowl (and tile) maker Emily Squires Levine from Philadelphia.
