Picasso to polymer

Prais-Hintz collaged beads on PolymerClayDaily.com

A group challenge pushed Wisconsin’s Erin Prais-Hintz out of her comfort zone and into these collaged beads and surface treatments.

Picasso’s Bowl of Fruit painting was the starting point. Erin decided not to stress over not being able to see any fruit and instead focused on the colors and bits of paper and writing that resonated with her.

She took the opportunity to apply some of the Debbie Crothers surface tricks to create raw and rusty veneers. Erin did it her way and yet the resulting beads have a Picasso feel. She nailed it! Read her story on Facebook.

What a great way to stretch and try something new. Do you have a favorite painting that you’d like to try in polymer?

Talking hydrangeas

Pasieka small art tile on PolymerClayDaily.com

Karen Pasieka (subtledetails) seems surprised that her little art tiles sell quickly. “Nothing overly unique about this design in terms of my own collection, but they have been very popular so it can’t hurt to have another one available to purchase!” she says.

This Hydrangeas is a work in progress. Its delicate petals jump over the edges of the softly gradated tile, bursting with delicacy and energy. No surprise to us that they’re popular. Here are more of them.

Are you sometimes surprised by what’s popular in your work? It pays to listen to your customers.

Carried by color

These breezy, summery earrings from Spain’s Elena Fernandez Guijarro are made from scrap clay pieces laid next to each other in an easy, casual way.

Sometimes we forget about easy and casual. Color carries Elena’s design forward.

Try going simple and let color carry your work along.

Hairstick polymer

Let’s take Heather Millican’s (swoon_dimples) hair stick advice and be nice to ourselves this weekend.

Heather loves words and believes in their power so she stamps her favorites in polymer and distresses them for emphasis. Read more on Facebook and Etsy.

StudioMojo offers the polymer backstory plus links to the tools and clever developments spotted this week. Sign up today and you’ll get your weekend words (and lots of pictures) this Saturday morning.

Polymer with love

Illinois’ Linda Webb (creeksidestudio) tells her story in mosaic code, this one a heartfelt condolence to Manchester, UK families.

Linda keeps her work surface covered with sheets of veneers that she crafts into images. This Instagram photo of her workspace explains it all.

Mosaics offer another use for the polymer, paint and ink veneers that have been growing in popularity.

Lam’s leaves

Loretta Lam keeps me coasting on photos taken at last week’s conference. These lightweight sculpted leaves are not-quite-finished samples for an upcoming European class.

Even unsanded the shapes were silky smooth. Loretta lays thin fabric-like veneers over FIMOairlight bases.

Thank you for your comments on yesterday’s post that taught me another meaning of the word goolies. While the creatures in the Christi Friesen post are cute, some goolies are certainly better kept not so free!

Freeing your goolies

Friesen's Goolies on PolymerClayDaily.com

Christie Friesen is possessed by Goolies, small polymer sculptures that fly from her fingers.

In Virginia an admiring crowd gathered around the oven, waiting to adopt the figments of Christi’s imagination. She really can’t say where or how the Goolies originate or what they mean. You can see on her Facebook page that she’s made legions of them. And they keep coming.

What do the gremlins, grouches and goofballs that live in your imagination look like? Have you ever tried to capture them in polymer?

Grow the forest

Laura Tabakman, Emily Squires Levine and Julie Eakes, the creative forces behind the global collaborative Into the Forest exhibit created this series of 4″ caned flower brooches as part of a fundraising effort.

Sales of these and a smaller bar brooch series will help cover the costs of the exhibit and associated opening festivities in Pittsburgh at the Spinning Plate Gallery November 10-11. The show runs through the end of November. A teaser mini-installation will be unveiled at Synergy4 in August.

The curators have accumulated thousands of elements from 250 artists in 32 states and 22 countries that will be put together as a forest installation. While they are applying for grants and corporate sponsorships, you can also show your support and help grow the forest by picking a brooch from the exhibit’s new website/shop, intotheforestinstallation.com.

This Saturday’s StudioMojo will be filled with more super tips and tidbits from the Virginia conference. There’s still time to sign up and hear all the backstory.

Hacking polymer

Benzon's shaved organics on PolymerClayDaily.com

If there’s a theme to the Virginia conference, it’s Hacking Polymer. In every corner of the workroom someone is slicing, gouging, carving raw polymer in new, more aggressive ways with tools borrowed from woodcarvers and manicurists.

Jana Roberts Benzon credits ceramicist Zemer Peled with inspiring her to try a small similar organic piece. This 3″ X 2″ experiment combines some of Jana’s Encrusted techniques with new shaved and carved threads of polymer.

Libby Mills rippled-bladed through clay in ways that turned a single block into a whole catalog of patterns. Stacy Shaffer zipped through the surface of her stripes to uncover fabric-like patterns perfect for trendy earrings. More on the new mayhem in this weekend’s StudioMojo.

If you’re ready for some hacking of your own, consider Claycino in Las Vegas beginning June 2 and sponsored by FIMO manufacturer, Staedtler. All course materials are supplied along with daily lunch and snacks, party fare and closing Bavarian banquet. Only few spots left in this exciting new event!

A tale of tags

Loew's tag necklace on PolymerClayDaily.com

This tag necklace from Baltimore’s Linda Loew is full of surprises. The dark gold polymer links are stamped, painted and textured in a dark and rough urban grunge style accented with red.

The pieces are thinner than you’d expect and slightly curved during curing. Each is individually shaped.

Linda heads for the fishing department for her findings that make the links twirl on connectors meant for lures. Here’s a second more colorful version.

The necklaces feel like they’re filled with stories…but Linda’s story is hard to find online. You can see a few more of her works on Pinterest.

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