The appeal of build-your-own

Melanie West adds a new twist to her Bones necklace on PolymerClayDaily

Melanie West wore her new Bones necklace at Synergy4 in August. One night it was a long chain, the next she quickly reconfigured it as a choker and bracelet.

Melanie West transforms a necklace into a choker and bracelet on PolymerClayDaily.com

The genius of Melanie’s design is the way the links are connected with o-rings held in place by the bulbous ends of each snakey bead.

A more recent version of Melanie’s necklace shown at left includes curled sections, a play on vine-like necklaces by Maggie Maggio. In true Synergy spirit, Georg Dinkel joined in and suggested adding contrasting dots on the end of each link! And she’s not finished experimenting.

Has Melanie’s build-your-own bright idea started your wheels turning?

Join us over at StudioMojo where we mull over the new designs and keep the synergy going every Saturday morning.

Endangered melonious

Endanged melonious by Katrin Lukashuk on PolymerClayDailycom

Who knew there were watermelon people? Ukraine’s Katrin Lukashuk knows them and has captured them in polymer!

She’s also produced mixed media gorgons, fireflies, stones and other creatures from her imagination which she shows on Instagram and sells on Etsy.

Watermelon people have been a hit on the Art Toy Gam a Collective that features toys and urban arts.

Fans speculate that melonious people are endangered because they’re so delicious!

Hospitable polymer

Arieta Stavridou invites you in for tea on PolymerClayDaily.com

Arieta Stavridou’s polymer-covered teapot will perk you right up. The colors dance all over its round squat shape.

This Cyprus artist tops off the effect with a wash of dark paint to highlight the details. See this pot from all vantage points on Facebook and enjoy her whole stash of teapots on her BigFish page.

There’s something homey and hospitable about these joyful pieces.

Baleia Azul

Renan Florindo gets to the heart of the matter on PolymerClayDaily.com

Renan Florindo from Brazil keeps us thinking of the wild oceans. His Baleia Azul (Blue Whale) is sculpted in curving flight.

Renan added details with paint and mounted the polymer sculpt on a watercolor background. You can watch him add the details on Instagram.

The subject matter for Renan’s art is usually anatomical hearts which he sculpts and draws in incredible detail and unusual settings. I wish I understood more about his focus on hearts but his writing is sparse and the translations from Portuguese don’t help.

This powerful endangered blue whale requires no translation.

Monster Monday

If you tracked monster storms all weekend you may be in the mood to purge your world of all its monsters.

Watch as Michigan’s Anthony, Ace of Clay, turns his demons into pins. With ferocious teeth, of course.

Some texture, a few wrinkles and a dusting of dark shadows around the eyes heightens the ominous look. Some have sunlight color-changing eyes, others glow in the dark.

Anthony also keeps switch plates, phone cases and sculpted figures in stock. If you’re squeamish, you’ll prefer his colorful imitative sugar skulls. Look on Instagram, Etsy, and Facebook.

Hot hands for custom clay

Karen Lewis (Klew) mixes a custom clay for this cane on PolymerClayDaily.com

California’s Karen Lewis, (Klew) spent a day planning and mixing colors for this stylized horse. The cane is made of a custom blend Klew calls Fremo.

“My Fimo was quite aged – 15 years or more – and my Premo was fresh. My hands are very hot so creating my own brand is just right for me,” she says. Here are some of her hand tips.

This design by Klew pays tribute to the style of Laurel Birch with a combination of strongly defined areas and painterly backgrounds.

Customers were standing in line on Facebook, waiting to see how she’d use the figure in her distinctly southwestern pairing of stones and beads and spirited images.

Tomorrow’s StudioMojo contains an impromptu session with Carol Blackburn as she assembles one of her impossibly neat and graphic canes. She makes her methods look so simple. Join us.

Floating into fall

Katya Karavaeva's twists a fall leaf brooch on PolymerClayDaily

This fall brooch is from Russia’s Katya Nikami (nikamiart)

Twisted strings of fall golds and browns are interspersed with graduated balls of color to create a textural feel for this long curving leaf. Or perhaps it’s a feather. No matter, it’s a languorous shape perfect for floating on a lapel.

Katya is also trying out a number of imitative stone technique with success. Look on Instagram for them.

Making a difference with polymer

Angie Wiggins lends a hand on Polymer Clay Daily.com

One of the extraordinary things about our medium is how and easy it is to make a statement, raise some funds or lend a hand.

Angie Wiggins quickly created these Lone Star pins to raise funds for Texas storm victims. “I hope to have 20 Lone Star pins for the Virginia show on September 16. 100% will go to the Cajun Navy,” she says. See these and other show stoppers on Angie’s Instagram.

As a polymer artist, you have a super power. Your challenge is to claim it and use it for good whenever you can.

Good hair day down under

Good hair day from Wendy Moore on PolymerClayDaily.com

Whether you’re having a good hair day or not, these face canes from Australia’s Wendy Moore demand attention. Check out the details. Admire the hairstyles, catch the young vibe. The earrings are some of Wendy’s class samples for an upcoming workshop. There are more on her Instagram.

Wendy bought a pair of earrings from another Australian up and coming polymer/fiber artist, Heidi Helyard. Wendy found Heidi’s earring shape so wearable that she used it for these creations.

Heidi weaves fibers through holes on her polymer bases. We’ll want to cover her more thoroughly soon.

Recover from your holiday, go comb your hair. Let’s head into fall.

PolyPetal celebration

Cheery PolyPetals for the BPCG 20th anniversary on PolymerClayDaily

Carol Blackburn’s teardrop-shaped petals are made from cheery combinations of stripes, blends, and patterns in colors that sing.

That’s because her workshop on September 23 and 24 for the British Polymer Clay Guild celebrates their 20th anniversary, an occasion for singing!

The Poly Petals’ domed dimensions and varied teardrop sizes add a carefree note.

See them again on Facebook. There are lots of tempting workshops listed for the event. Here’s hoping you have time to play with clay on this happy Labor Day.

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