by Cynthia Tinapple on March 27, 2009 · 6 comments
When metalsmith Gabriel Craig took to the streets of Richmond, Virginia to acquaint people with handmade jewelry arts, he used polymer clay to introduce the concept.
His guerrilla marketing techniques earned him a story in the current issue of American Craft magazine and it’s an interesting read about the value and meaning of handmade items. Click on the bottom picture to see the video.
You readers have long understood the popular appeal and immediacy of polymer clay. We don’t necessarily see it as a gateway drug to metalworking however. For us it’s a daily vitamin that we appreciate as an art medium in its own right as demonstrated by the works of so many artists on this site.
Thanks to Elise Winters for the link. Have an inspired weekend.
BlockPartyPress’ Tamara Shea is a prolific polymer clay artist, chalking up her 1000th online sale at the end of June. Her cloud nine design is a new one in her series of designs that combine her love of block printing and painting with polymer.
I marvel at her work and at the effort that such volume demands. Look here and here to witness the quality and consistency of her many appealing pieces.
The recent American Craft Council-sponsored conversation between artists from traditional and trendy marketing backgrounds got me thinking about the young savvy marketers in our craft. Names like Meredith Dittmar, Heather Powers, Shannon LeVart, Betsy Baker, Eva Soehjar, and Tamara Shea spring to mind (there are many others). These artists are busy with online galleries like Etsy, Kaboodle, Trunkt, DaWanda, Stylehive, Flickr…to say nothing of the blogs and social networks on which they stay active.
I’ve heard a number of artists my age disparage online galleries but it’s hard to dismiss the numbers. Both camps can learn something from each other and this talk (audio only), though it’s a bit slow in places, gets the dialogue started. Give a listen.
