by Cynthia Tinapple on October 5, 2010 · 7 comments
It’s October and you can predict a month of polymer skulls, candy corn and pumpkin art. We’ll start with this new skull and bones necklace by Wendy Malinow. She’s loaded up her Etsy site with dark and quirky works that are on the cutting edge (including this poison cameo bracelet).
Wendy’s ability to stay edgy netted her first place in the 2010 Saul Bell Award competition in the metal clay category competition. It was her fourth year as a winner! The competition challenges jewelry designers to push the boundaries of creativity to come up with innovative pieces. Here’s her winning Song and Eggs necklace that includes metal clay, gemstones and polymer.
Leslie Blackford is breathing a sigh of relief as she finishes her first major batch of orders for galleries. The tagline for her “carnies” series is “Damn everything but the circus.” The theme continues through the sculptures to her imaginative packaging.
Pendant cords travel up through the top of her boxes through a slit that holds each pendant in place. Stacked together they form an impromptu fun house display of her sideshow characters. Her catalog is printed as a circus flier.
Leslie’s companion packaging and promotions amplify the impact of her intensely personal and engaging work, an edgy combination of dark and whimsical.
Leslie’s theme is based on an e. e. cummings quote that may resonate with you on a Monday, “…damn everything that is grim, dull, motionless, unrisking, inward turning, damn everything that won’t get into the circle, that won’t enjoy, that won’t throw its heart into the tension, surprise, fear and delight of the circus, the round world, the full existence.“
by Cynthia Tinapple on November 25, 2009 · 6 comments
More wings! This time they’re on “Angel”ina, the polymer clay fantasy sculpture of Nevada artist Nicole West (wingdthing).
Nicole has an uncanny ability to imbue her creations, from pin ups to pixies, with hyper real features and emotions. It’s easy to see why she was selected this year’s Most Promising Sculptor by her peers on the Deviant Art site.
I’m in the Hollywood vicinity and couldn’t resist the pull of Nicole West’s sexy creatures. Thanks to Andrea Polite for the link.
by Cynthia Tinapple on October 1, 2009 · 4 comments
If, like me, you overlooked the hands-on classes that have been added to the Synergy2 lineup, be sure to look again. There are some gems being offered before and after the Baltimore conference.
The trick is that you have to contact the instructor directly (or his/her website) to get in on the deal.
Check out these whimisical narrative sculptures from Leslie Blackford’s “Off With Your Head!” class on the Tuesday before the conference. Their heads are built over small lightbulbs and you can change their head/body combinations to suit your mood.
If you’ve never seen Leslie conjure up creatures from a heap of polymer clay scraps, you’re in for a treat. Her spontaneous, direct way of bringing an idea to life will light your imagination. Here’s her Deviant site and here’s her email.
It’s rare to have access to this many top-notch teachers. The rest of the hands-on class roster includes: Seth Savarick, Tracy Holmes, Bettina Welker, Dan Cormier, Robert Dancik. Add to that the Cabin Fever Clay Fest workshops and their long list of experts. Take a class and your head will be spinning like the ones on Leslie’s sculptures!
It’s October and you can predict a month of polymer skulls, candy corn and pumpkin art. We’ll start with this new skull and bones necklace by Wendy Malinow. She’s loaded up her Etsy site with dark and quirky works that are on the cutting edge (including this poison cameo bracelet).
