Prague’s Jana Honnerova brings a smooth and seductive metallic sheen to her polymer clay coiled and braided bracelets. Bits of gold float on top of spring colors that blend seamlessly into each other.
Admire them on Instagram and take an even closer look in her Etsy shop.
These arty, carefree collaged earrings from Germany’s Bettina Welker feel playful with their contrast and deep texturing.
Bettina offers a whole collection of these springy Patchwork accessories on Flickr.
I’m having a hard time deciding which spring creations from Clayathon to include in this Saturday’s StudioMojo. There was so much going on and people were so willing to share that I’m having a grand time sorting out the ideas that were blooming all over the workroom. I may have to spread them out over the next two issues so that we can savor them properly. Come on over to discover what’s new.
The shape that Vancouver’s Janet Bouey uses for her pendants is a pleasing and popular one.
Janet has synthesized what can be a complicated design to its simplest form with the use of a jump ring on either side on the top edge of the pendant.
It’s simple to construct and can still be elegant to wear. That’s a win-win in my book. Of course, it helps to have compelling veneers for your pendants too!
It’s not easy to be productive at a busy event like Clayathon where you are bombarded with ideas and opportunities to socialize.
Loretta Lam bravely used her time to play, trying out an idea that had been rattling around in her brain. She envisions a long chain of these 3″ tubes covered with mix and match patterns. The neutral palette keeps her focus on shape and design.
Passersby help her with a thumbs up or down. The patterns are all Loretta and the shapes allow us to see them in a new way.
Maryland’s Mickey Kunkle straddles the worlds of fiber and polymer in her jewelry. At Clayathon in New Jersey, Mickey was working on designing a woven polymer bracelet using a kind of loom she made by drilling holes in a round base. It’s a hybrid of fiber and polymer influences.
Mickey extruded round pegs that she cured and inserted into the holes in the base. She then extruded long strings to weave around the pegs to form a bracelet. Her prototype is strong and colorful and wearable. She’s still in the “Whatify” stage.
In her gallery video, Mickey explains her struggles as an artist and how she has learned to combine her talents to suit herself. Can’t decide between your favorite artforms? Maybe you don’t have to.
New Mexico’s Gael Keyes makes fantastical bugs and beetles with fancy wire legs dressed in polymer and beaded antennae. They’re composed of scrap clay twisted into a Natasha bead pattern to create the bookend pattern on their backs and wings.
Polymer is a family affair with Gael. She’s here at Claython in New Jersey with her mother (Carole Centrella) and sister (Linda O’Brien). Retired from a school principal job, Gael’s online exposure had to be limited. She launched onto Instagram today! Follow her.
Minneapolis’ Chris Baird came to the rescue when I couldn’t locate Tuesday’s artist (Nathalie Sgard).
Of course, I looked at Chris’ Etsy page and found her on Facebook and was smitten by her little houses and villages made of scrap. They’re patched and pieced together in the most nostalgic and charming ways.
I’m away from home at Clayathon this weekend. It’s a big event with lots to inspire you. Join us at StudioMojo for a look over the shoulders of some of our most amazing polymer artists at work.
Anna Nel layers crisp pieces of abstract patterns into a brooch. Her colors tease the eye with subtle gradations. Curves and angles cluster around a window in the center of the pin.
I’m not sure where she is in Europe but her heart resonates with the art of Wassily Kandinsky.
This is turning into a week of mysteries. Here is Anna on Facebook and Instagram.
It’s not often that a piece shows up without attribution. Who could have made this necklace of folded ovals that have been textured and highlighted? She’s French (assuming a woman) who shows her work on the coast of France at Atelier Scalp Bijoux.
The mix of neutrals makes this very wearable in a seaside setting. Let us know if you have a clue who made it. Guess it’s an April fool’s challenge.
The artist is Nathalie Sgard. Thanks to Chris Bard
Could this be the year that we actually get a polymer-covered egg made? No April-fooling!
Germany’s Kerstin Rupprecht has already filled her basket. Take a look at them on Instagram.
