Comedian/Polymer Artist Arnold

Let’s start your week with a polymer clay “comedian artist.” That’s how Seattle’s Meredith Arnold describes herself and her classes are raucous fun. She’ll be teaching in Philadelphia, Miami and Orlando this month.

What surprised me is how shy she is about her web site…she’s not usually shy. Her gallery is filled with works that cover a wide range of media and processes which she discusses on her blog.

Her polymer/PMC combinations, like the beads shown here, are elegant (see her handbook on etching). A hit of Meredith’s color and vitality is a good way to begin your week.

Levi’s Polymer Pillows

Israel’s Sagit Levi has mastered the polymer clay pillow bead shape. Her beads juxtapose their soft shapes with a riot of strong colors that look very much like lampworked glass beads.

Sagit uses translucent canes in bolder colors and more dramatic combinations than we’re used to seeing. She’s got Etsy and Flickr sites and more.

Have a bright, bold weekend.

Carnes Polymer Bakery

Leslie Carnes (Pancake Meow) makes polymer clay baked goods so real that you’ll drool over them.

She does a thriving business in faux sugary waffles, cookies, flan, glazed donuts, crepes, ice cream and cupcakes…served on charm-sized ceramic plates and bowls.

Her just-baked delights are wearable as necklaces and earrings and they’re scented to complete the effect.

These teeny lemon pie slices look like the perfect tonic for spring fever.

Note: Ponsawan Sila has set up a blog to celebrate her daughter, Ada, who is still in a coma.

Inabe’s floating translucents

Masako Inabe’s translucent goldfish truly floats on one of her polymer clay beads. And her butterfly flutters on another.

Donna Kato sent in these pictures taken at Carnival ’07. “I think that goldfish bead is the most beautiful polymer bead I’ve ever seen. It’s so Japanese,” says Donna. (There are more pictures of it in Donna’s travel album.) Carnival ’08 will take place this October-November.

Portland’s Meredith Dittmar has added Etsy to her list of venues and she’s posted pictures of new works in progress on her Flickr site. She’s scheduled a July show in New York and updated her site. There’s even a 2-minute animation. You’ll want to poke around.

Velmachos’ ancient polymer

Sometimes polymer clay pieces can feel primitive and iconic. Callie Velmachos has a crude but captivating way of embedding beach pebbles and found objects in polymer clay. And she’s got a tiny tutorial on her site that shows you how she does it.

Callie admits that it was cRis Dupouy’s book, Creating Your Own Antique Jewelry, that got her started. She’s got an article in the Spring 2008 edition of Belle Armoire Jewelry that will tell you more.

Banyas/Speer collaborations

Ohio’s Deborah Banyas and TP Speer have been collaborating on their mixed media wall pieces since the 1980s.

The couple began studying and collecting folk art and soon their collection began rubbing off on their own artwork. Polymer clay added color and variety to their sewn and stuffed wall pieces.

This bird woman looks like she’s enjoying spring. Their gallery is just the thing to get your week started off on the right foot.

More Acre works

Here’s Sandra McCaw’s piece from the ACRE show postcard. Judy Belcher’s new work for the show includes pieces that spin and turn (at right). Barb Fajardo says she’ll be there as a visiting artist.

Whining about photo size yesterday paid off with these photo contributions.

On Karen Park’s Art and Tea site look at the pictures from Laurie Mika’s workshop. They’ll put you in the mood to learn something new this spring.

Don’t you love the way Laurie has mounted her pieces on the wall? Karen’s pagoda mosaic reflects her tastes perfectly. Have a perfect weekend.

Acre Show Participants

Judy Dunn’s been preparing for the ACRE (American Craft Retailers Expo, the trade show for Wholesalecrafts.com) show in Las Vegas in April. Doesn’t her necklace go well with PCDaily’s site colors?

Thumbing through the list of ACRE artists, I came across a number of other polymer clay artists who will be in the show. Some of them like Tish Collins and Joyce Fritz (see the bug) have almost none of their work on the web.

Judy Belcher has a bit and you can also visit Gwen Pina’s site. Meisha Barbee, Lindly Haunani and Sandra McCaw will be sharing an NPCG-sponsored booth there as well.

It’s fun to browse through the ACRE site even though the pictures are frustratingly small. Let me know if you find any artists I missed.

Walnut and Pebbles Bowl

This walnut bowl inlaid with polymer clay pebbles is a prototype for me. It’s not quite there yet but I thought I’d let you have a sneak peek while I go help renovate my living room. One last coat of finish on the floor and life can return to normal. (The dumpster, the plaster and the snow are all gone.)

The pebbles were supposed to look like they went right through the bowl and while it doesn’t pass my scrutiny, it’ll delight the boys (well, men) at lathe club and make my husband a star. In that sense, it’s a success and that’s enough.

Montgrand’s Chocolate and Chantilly

A chocolate and chantilly necklace may never have occurred to you but don’t these polymer clay strawberries look marvelous? They’re the work of Paris artist, Delphine Roche de Montgrand (aka La Fille du Consul) who was recently interviewed on CraftySynergy.

Her collection of wearable cherries, peas, and even radishes reminds you that spring is around the corner. Her chocolates are yummy. She started playing with polymer clay as a child and her works retain a look that integrates the child and the designer. Remember her bloody Halloween necklace?

Delphine’s work is in several online boutiques including Egg Mercantile.

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