Polymer Clay Daily

Gone Fishin’

Having seen the "Inconvenient Truth" environmental movie in NYC, I'm slightly freaked out by our unseasonably hot weather. I can't seem to buckle down. My brain's gone fishing.

And look at these great fish that Susan Hyde sent from Seattle. Now that she's retired she's vowed to create more and to show herself off on a web site. In the meanwhile, here are a couple more recent works.

Fear not…tomorrow our biggest outdoor art show of the season begins and I've already spotted some great polymer folks in the mix.

Polymer Rockwell

The polymer tableaux by Sharon Mohler depict very homey, American scenes which seem appropriate for this holiday weekend.

"I am self, and life taught. I am probably thought of as an outsider artist, or a raw artist, though I call myself a folk artist. The truth is, I fit no category," says Sharon.

For a bit of lovely nostalgic polymer-meets-Norman Rockwell inspiration, browse through Sharon's "Stories Without Boxes" site and read her stories. Note that she's a home-grown Ohioan from Yellow Springs! And thanks to Susan Rose for the tip.

I'll be on vacation tomorrow and Monday. Depending on what I discover enroute and how close I am to a computer, I may or may not post. I'll be back Tuesday with news from NYC. Have a delightful weekend.

Boar’s Bristles

Kathleen Dustin has added some spectacular new work to her web site. While there are a number of additions to the Village Women purses for which she is best-known, the most exciting work shows a departure from the smooth hand-drawn layered figures.

Featuring boar's bristles and carved polymer, some of Kathleen's new pieces have a stiffer and more tactile quality. The polymer stones that she's created for years are now incised and stacked in new and appealing ways in her carved stone sampler bracelet.

The "tornado pins" pictured here blend the layered, luminous look with new textures and shapes. It's inspiring to see one of polymer's early pioneers continue to produce such new and exciting work.

Tiffany/Gehry

No, Tiffany & Co. is not selling polymer jewelry but their new collaboration with architect Frank Gehry is quite remarkable and it’s fun to look at on the Tiffany.com site (click on the Frank Gehry Collection link). Gehry calls his six new jewelry shapes torque, fish, orchid, fold, equus and axis.

It’s interesting that organic shapes similar to Gehry’s have already surfaced in our polymer clay community.

Watching how these designers play with the materials (there’s an 8-minute movie) is educational and makes me reexamine my thinking and designing process. Food for thought.

Creativity Shaman

If you’re like me, you need a bit of a boost to start your week right and Barb Kobe’s site is sure to do the trick. The doll shown here is her Creativity Shaman, she who builds links to creativity. Barb, who is based in Minneapolis, makes art dolls, therapeutic dolls and puppets that nurture personal growth and healing. She uses a variety of materials, including polymer clay, to create shape, color, textures and moods for her dolls.

Some of her inspirations come from other cultures’ spiritual and healing symbols. Other inspiration comes from words, her art journals, nature, and her healing process. She uses sticks, roots, materials from nature, clay, fibers and painted fabric.

Her site is dense with images and explanations. If your internet connection can handle it, I recommend that you download her slideshow (it’s a 5Mb .pdf file) which is a fascinating read about her process.

Thanks to Carol Simmons for the link. Happy Monday.

Ovenfried Beads

I’m not usually a fan of cute names but this one tickles me. It’s not surprising that Amy Wallace credits her babysitting jobs as the thing that led her to more serious polymer work. Teaching her young charges to make beads kept them occupied and made her realize how much she enjoyed the clay.

Amy makes what she calls a "stacker" bead and combines them in many ways. She’s a Cincinnati girl and a member of the Cincinnati Craft Mafia, according to her site. Thanks to Shirley Guenther for the tip.

Tell a story

I snagged Dolly Traicoff’s site while poring over the Detroit guild’s information. I like the layering of words and pictures and objects that she combines into her quirky pins.

I’m also drawn in by the handwriting and the stories that her pieces hint at. A little food for Thursday thought.

Cane Lesson

A bit of a lesson today from California’s Kim Korringa. Kim has a sequence of fish cane pictures on her site that may teach you a thing or two.

Kim’s web site is a pleasure to browse through and includes a studio tour, always a winner in my book. In her former life Kim was a graphic artist.

I like the quote by Robert Henri that Kim includes on her site, "The object isn’t to make art, it’s to be in that wonderful state that makes art inevitable"