I’ve discovered the joys of simple metalworking. After getting the magnificent Alexander Calder jewelry book
And I just ran across a promising site, Jewelry Lessons, that seems to have simple wireworking tutorials. The site looks perky and fun. Has anyone tried it?
Oh, there’s so much to learn once I get my power and internet connection back. Maybe today!
Ohmigosh, Iris Mishly (polymerionline) has found some wonderful links! I’ll lean on her while my power’s out and she’ll take you to some spectacular new artists with a worldwide flavor. Just for starters, she found:
Iris does her homework and polymerionline is full of new names and faces worth following plus her own pattern-rich work. Thanks, Iris.
Wisconsin’s Laura Timmins put polymer clay on the cover of Key Milwaukee magazine. Laura makes her own cord and carefully crafts all the findings and beads in her asian-looking designs. You’ll love the look at her process. She uses a no-nonsense approach to marketing and selling polymer clay that works.
This magazine article promotes the Hidden River Art Festival at the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts held September 19-21.
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Thanks for all your good wishes. We’re fine and without power for another few days. I will continue to visit my sister nearby for showers and internet. I’m slowly catching up on my email and research and I appreciate your patience.
Came home to Ohio to find downed trees, no power and a shaken husband who narrowly averted death by falling tree. Our generator is keeping the fridge cold and intermittently I get a computer hook-up. I’ll be back as soon as I can.
Ohio’s power trucks are in Texas to help them out so we probably won’t have power for several days. I have friends and coffee shops to visit with my laptop in tow in the meanwhile. Stay tuned.
Mixing polymer clay with other media is all the rage. I watched as others experimented with the new BronzClay (see my quick page of the results) and silk fusion.
The gallery page on the LuckySquirrel site leave me wanting to try mixing shrink plastic with polymer clay too (as in this example from Jane Roulston and more from Dayle Doroshow). Have an adventurous weekend.
France’s Celine (aka gRIS bLEu) marries graphics and organics in an eye-catching way with this new polymer clay necklace.
I’m still playing and away from the computer. Luckily Kim Cavender and Lindly Haunani have kept their noses to their monitors to bring you polymer news. Talk amongst yourselves.
I’m having too much fun making polymer clay beads and just can’t stop for the computer today. See you tomorrow.
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Colorado’s Tracy Miller mixes polymer clay with her bright southwest fiber art. Using silk fusion as a base, she paints, stitches, beads and sculpts the surface to create wall art. The medium has dramatic possiblities and Tracy achieves lustrous results.
This medium, also known as silk paper, looks like a promising new companion for polymer clay. Tracy demonstrated her technique on this HGTV tutorial.
This polymer clay hostess gift from Maryland’s Mari Odell to Taz Chaudry has a lovely story. Mari pressed transluscent faux jade into antique Japanese sweet mold fragments to create the centerpiece of the necklace. The side beads are a combination of extruded polymer, serpentine jade and antique brass.
Mari taught high school art in Maryland and Taz was her student. Twenty-five years later Taz contacted Mari to thank her for that high school inspiration and Taz, now in Colorado, hosted Mari on her visit. And once again Mari had an opportunity to teach Taz art, this time polymer clay.
Elise Winters passes along this interesting link about gold that gives us more support as we polymer clay artists struggle to defend our medium. The article reports that:
The ecologic, economic, social, and political price of gold is far costlier than we imagine. We are in the midst of a new gold rush, one that is consuming wilderness areas, contaminating watersheds, destroying ecosystems, and imperiling the economics of poor nations and the well being of indigenous people throughout the world. Some cumulative, irreparable consequences of mining will be with us, in this country and around the world, forever.
This new gold rush is the result of a converging complexity of circumstances on a global scale, including:
- The development of highly effective and extremely toxic methods of gold extraction,
- A continual rise in worldwide demand for gold,
- The demise of gold as global monetary standard,
- The continued withholding of enormous stockpiles of gold in the vaults of national banks, and
- Huge, multinational corporations very eager to cash in.
Frustration…web surfing on a pc…grrrrrr. You’ll just have to believe me and visit One of a Kind Chicago and look at Debra DeWolff’s new work. Yummy. Once I get to a good connection, I’ll add a better picture. Search the roster for other polymer artists as well. Sorry…too much wine with Colorado friends. Have a great weekend and be ready for good stuff next week.
