Polymer Clay Daily

Terra Nova Polymer

We broke new ground, Terra Nova, in 2010! Thanks to the persistent effort spearheaded by Elise Winters and joined by many others, we can look forward to polymer’s first major museum show and a companion book at the Racine Art Museum October 2011 to February 2012. Look at PolymerArtArchive to learn about the history of your artform.

The Terra Nova: Polymer Art at the Crossroads exhibit promises to show how far polymer art has come in a short time by spotlighting eight Boundary Breakers. (This Blossoming Radii brooch is by Jeff Dever.)

With this PCDaily post #1413 we continue to watch polymer art grow. I look forward to another year with you. Happy new year!

Polymer goals

Ponsawan Silapiruti’s latest post describes her experience with Ring-A-Day 2010.

She says, “What did I get from the RAD project? Well, let’s see. I was asked by Lark Books for permission to publish pictures of some of my rings. Some will be exhibited alongside others made by members of the group in Seattle and sponsored by SNAG. I have never had my works exhibited before. I made a bunch of friends. I woke up every day for a year to see incredible and crazy ideas of how to make ring.” Pretty impressive results!

There are more than 16,000 ring pictures on the group’s Flickr site! Here are all the rings from polymer artists.

Ring a day has changed to ring a week (RAW) for 2011. Another project, True Addicts of Daily Art (TADA), asks members to commit to making progress on art jewelry creations every day. The goal is for each artist to have at least one show ready collection or series by the end of the year.

Trick #38 in the Creative Sparks book encourages you to impose limits on yourself as a way to push your art further. Join a group, enter a contest, set a deadline. Since I’m energized by groups and deadlines, I’ve decided to take the plunge for 2011. I joined TADA. These projects may help if you’re in a goal-setting mood and need a push.

Picarello’s new book

This polymer scarf pin from Julie Picarello provides another good choice for keeping warm with a spot of polymer. Julie’s style is distinct and her special techniques are laid out in her new book, Patterns in Polymer which is due out this spring. The yummy pictures on her Flickr pages give you a taste of what’s ahead.

Another upcoming book popped up in that dangerous “you might also like” section on Amazon. Masters of Polymer Clay will show the dazzling works of 40 of our most noted fellow artists. Looks like this spring’s crop of books will be a good one.

Spread the word

Holiday festivities and travel almost made me forget that I’m scheduled to teach classes in Worthington’s lovely MAC art facility starting January 5 for six weeks. As on PCDaily, my classes will offer a smorgasbord of polymer possibilities. Help me spread the word! Thanks!

You may note more food references than usual slipping into my vocabulary. I’m on the road and the free wifi networks at restaurants are having a subliminal effect!

Polymer for warmth

The wintry chill has me looking at polymer that helps keep your neck warm.

Russian polymer artist Galina Grebennikova from Dublin, Ireland recycles men’s silk ties into her necklaces. Clever and useful.

Italy’s Ilenia Moreni finishes off a luscious yellow silk scarf with polymer finial cones for an ancient and exotic bit of warmth.

Both artists’ sites will heat up your imagination.

Faux findings

This hair clip with faux lapis is from Camille Young. See what handmade gifts Camille created for her family and friends.

I’m guessing that the metal-looking parts of her recent jeweled ornaments, pins and pendants are also made from polymer. (Here are her snowflake ornaments from last year.) Could it be that she’s coated her faux findings with gilders paste?

If this antique line tickles your fancy, you may want to find Creating Your Own Antique Jewelry.

I’m on the road visiting family and working from various coffee shops with free wifi this week. I’ll be grabbing whatever catches my over-caffeinated eyes.

Holiday treats – Free polymer tutorials

These links lead you to some of my favorite free online tutorials. They’re quick and fun and perfect for those with short attention spans and few minutes to play.

Think of them as stocking stuffers from your fellow artists. There’s a second batch coming tomorrow.

  1. Marie Segal’s Word Stamps from Alphabet Soup Noodles
  2. Kim Korringa’s Fish Cane
  3. Sandra’s round paperclip tutorial for beginners
  4. Dahlia Cane from Ponsawan
  5. Simple Heart from Diane Villano

The decorations are from Chris Kapono!

Santa’s dark side in polymer

Polymer illustrator Jessica Fortner interpreted the sinister side of Santa for a recent Toronto Krampusnacht art show.

For those unfamiliar with European legend, the Krampus is a mythical being thought to the antithesis of Santa Claus. He travels from house to house dispensing wicked, cruel punishment to children who have been naughty. Krampusnacht, or Night of Krampus, is a celebration held on the eve of Santa Claus’ arrival. Adults dress in wild, devilish costumes to scare the children into being good.

Naughty, nosey polymer artists like me delight in Jessica’s work-in-progress photos of her scarey holiday piece and enjoy this article about her.

Tube debut

After a year of experimenting with hollow polymer tubes, Ford/Forlano are debuting their latest creations with more here.

Steve says, “For months, I’ve been playing with the form, and emailing pics to David in Santa Fe for his reaction. Mostly, we agreed that there was an interesting, if creepy, wormy quality to the early incarnations that we finally overcame with more practice and experimentation.”

Those of us who have followed this duo for a few years may detect a return to the cartoon quality of their early works. The inside out color adds a dash of intrigue.