Egg-stremely difficult

Carol Simmons can arrange one cane in many ways for an Easter treat on PolymerClayDaily

Egg-stremely difficult is how the UK’s Wentworth Puzzle catalog describes the wooden puzzle made from a photo of a grouping of polymer-covered eggs by Colorado’s Carol Simmons.

All the puzzle pieces are the identical shape which elevates the level of difficulty.

Using her rich and complex kaleidoscope patterns Carol is able to arrange a dizzying array of designs from the same cane.

Read about Carol’s egg-sperience in arranging cane slices on eggshells in this post from the archives.

Happy Easter!

Join us at StudioMojo on Saturday when we cover more polymer art, events, and ideas that you won’t want to miss out on. Sorry, no chocolate bunnies.

Modern and mindful

Diane of MindfulMatters stays in the moment with this modern pendant on PolymerClayDaily

“I love working with clay and mixed metals not only to unleash my creativity – but as a vehicle to practice mindfulness or the state of truly being in the moment,” says Diane of MindfulMatters. (Couldn’t find the last name of this Cleveland artist. Help?)

Diane translates intriguing natural geometries and textures into fun and wearable art jewelry. “I am a chemist by training and have always worked with my hands to create things whether in the lab or my home studio,” she says.

This 2.375″ x 1.5″ pendant in muted colors and textures is a delightful mix of off-balance elements that pull together nicely. Have a look at Diane’s Etsy site.

Sewn polymer neckpiece

Elena Fernandez bold mosaic exudes an ancient/modern vibe on PolymerClayDaily.com

Madrid’s Elena Fernandez (NaniPollito) combines many talents in this mosaic polymer neckpiece. The polymer elements are sewn on and surrounded by intricate beadwork,

The focal piece is strung on a long cord of polymer and antique trade beads.

Wherever her muse leads, Elena bravely follows. Her work is free form and dramatic. It requires bold wearer.

You can sense that Elena has been a painter all her life. Look at her wide-ranging art on Flickr.

Walk a mile in my shrine

Laurie Mika's class of shoe shrine worshippers on PolymerClayDaily.com

Laurie Mika’s home/studio class turned antique wooden shoe lasts into vintage jewelry and polymer-encrusted shrines topped with regal crowns.

What a treasure to tuck on a bookshelf or feature on a coffee table. Important dates and words are stamped into the clay and mysterious photos become focal points. Laurie makes us want to haunt the flea markets and antique stores. Read about them on Instagram and look for a class near you on Laurie’s site.

Modern minimalist

Syndee Holt gives her grid/circles combination three tries on PolymerClayDaily.com

California’s Syndee Holt is happily going rogue with this modern pendant made of distressed circles captured by a loose black grid.

Syndee works in threes so you’ll find two more examples of this dot/grid combination on her Instagram.

She has worked for Polyform Products for years developing designs, mixing colors, and trying out products. A good gig, eh? She shares some of her own tutorials and experiments on her blog and there’s a cool extruded coiled bowl post there now if you’re looking for a playful way to start your week.

Lampworking sleight of hand

Anna Nel's canes imitate lampworking on PolymerClayDaily.com

Anna Nel’s hollow beads look remarkably like lampwork. It’s Friday so you have the weekend to sit and study her beads and the cane they came from.

Anna Nel readies her palette on PolymerClayDaily.com

She uses some ingenious combination of mokume gane and Skinner blended bulleyes to pull off this sleight of hand. Anna says she was inspired by Arizona’s mountains. She even offers a photo of her luminous palette. Look on Facebook and Instagram.

Come on over and join us on StudioMojo, a Saturday morning in-depth look at the week in polymer. Grab a cup of tea, open your newsletter, and create yourself a wonderful weekend!

Playful experiments

Alessia Bodini weaves strips of her favorite scraps into a brooch on PolymerClayDaily

A browse through the photos of Italy’s Alessia Bodini is like skipping through her brain.

Alessia experiments and turns the pieces that speak to her into designs that please her. She shapes and reshapes until her eye is happy.

Alessia Bodini's earrings orbit a center bead on PolymerClayDaily

The blue extrusions were just her colors so she wove them into a brooch. The earrings are pleasantly off kilter. Thumb through her Flickr and Facebook photos to remind yourself how it is to play.

Time to restock your cane stash?

Soft, restful blue and white canes from Silvana Bates on PolymerClayDaily.com

Ireland’s Silvana Bates (silvabeads) may give you cane envy. Her blue and whites are softly patterned. Not too precise but created echoes of old tiles and well-worn fabrics.

The only cure for cane envy is fresh clay and a few blissful hours bringing your own cane designs to life.

See how Silvana puts her cane slices to good use in collages and veneers on Instagram and Facebook.

Curved petals joined lyrically

Wiwat Kamolpornwijit takes petals to his Southern shows on PolymerClayDaily.com

Wiwat Kamolpornwijit showed his latest petal necklaces at an art fair in Orlando before moving on to Houston, Atlanta and then Washington.

The curved petals fold over gracefully to reveal alternating patterned surfaces. Wiwat is known for his geometric construction tricks.

This feels like a new venture into more lyrical designs. Zoom in for a closer look on Facebook.

Transitions smooth the look

Marina Rios smooths the look with vintage and handmade spacers on PolymerClayDaily.com

This gorgeous chunky collar from Chicago’s Marina Rios (fancifuldevices) includes thirty-one handmade polymer clay beads with textures, pits, facets, and inclusions in a soft array of greens and pinks graduated in size from large to small.

To ensure a smooth visual transition between beads Marina created special spacers including vintage rhinestone rings and gemstone rondelles. The necklace is adjustable from 19 to 21 inches.

As I composed this post, her lovely spring-like necklace sold on Etsy but have a look anyway.

Marina shares some of her methods in tutorials. If you’re thinking about making faceted beads, review her free step-by-steps here on Instagram.

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