Flower cups

If you’re fed up with jewelry and tiny formats, take a tip from Australia’s Nicole Boucher (BlueMallee) and slap some layers of color on a straight-sided form to make flower cups!

Layers of bright sunflower petals stack up over a graduated background. She piles on leaves and flowers with delightful energy. Her sculptural composition is topped with a decorative edge and brushed with a wash of dark paint to enhance the details.

Who couldn’t use a creation like this to hold tools or utensils? Nicole will introduce her new series at her gallery.

Over at StudioMojo, we’ll be looking at how to keep moving when your heart doesn’t wanna. How do you loosen up and let the clay do the talking? Come on over and explore with us.

Chasing the rainbow

Caroline Casswell chases the rainbow with her big links on PolymerClayDaily

Patterned links chase each other around in this necklace by the UK’s Caroline Casswell. Rainbow colors blend into each other.

This necklace is part of Caroline’s display at Wave 7 Gallery in Wadebridge Cornwall.

The links are sturdy and there’s something fun about this play of color and pattern. But of course, it takes planning and skill to make the blends flow so smoothly. See more in this series on her website.

Modelling statement earrings

Vanessa Dunn lets photos do the talking about her earrings on PolymerClayDaily.com

Philadelphia’s Vanessa Dunn (XENIASTUDIO) calls these her Wave earrings. She’s paired up with a Philly-based ethical clothing company who had their model wear her abstract polymer earrings in a shoot.

Her earring designs blend beautifully with Voloshin’s breezy billowy cotton designs.

Vanessa sprinkles shots of her earrings on models throughout her Instagram to great effect. Photos on models say much more than a straightforward description.

She sells on Etsy.

Hot weather, hot colors

Hot colors are in Monika Busch's forecast on PolymerClayDaily

Our eyes gravitate to hot colors when the temperature rises. These beads from Germany’s Monika Busch (Efmoni) sizzle.

Bits of extruded ovals probably leftover from other projects stand out on a big-hole black tube bead. Nothing fancy here but very effective.

Students at the reformatory said that their large campus was eerily quiet during a recent heatwave. The best way to beat the heat was to remain still in front of a fan. Multiple showers provided a brief respite. Not much clay work got done.

Monday wake-up call

Jana Lehmann's action-packed pendant starts the week on PolymerClayDaily.com

Germany’s Jana Lehmann is on a roll. Her newest pieces include extruded strings, dots, stripes, textures, gradations, cutouts, dangles. Oh, and did you notice the closure that’s also a design element?

Jana packs this piece with action for your Monday wake-up call. Feast your eyes on other juicy examples on her Instagram.

Mix and match playful bangle

Valérie Bodino-Nazet builds a wonky, fun bangle on PolymerClayDaily.com

France’s Valérie Bodino-Nazet hits the spot with this mix-and-match segmented bangle to wrap up the week.

Black and white stripes are a no-fail pattern to break up the tiny flowered pattern, the black and white leaf-like section, and the graphic black and white piece with just a splash of florals. Here on Instagram.

It’s hard to tell if this is one solid bangle or if the bracelet is in three sections of tubes that stretch apart at the stripes. No matter, it’s a playful and slightly wobbly Friday treat.

If you’re in the mood for more treats, join us over at StudioMojo where the value of a playful approach to polymer art is one of the big keys to success. Come join us.

How color controls the composition

Rocky Antonio small ring dish contains big colors and textures on PolymerClayDaily.com

Watching Australia’s Rocky Antonio (RockyBeads) assemble her compositions with little bits of clays and canes is soothing and deeply relaxing. She works on small objects (this ring dish is one of her larger items).

With judicious use of color and attention to placement, she keeps her small items from becoming too sweet or insignificant.

The muted purple background of this shallow dish holds all the bright colors together and the dimension adds interest. Watch her paint on polymer on Facebook or work with a needle tool on Instagram.

Rocky’s Matryoshka dolls from 2012 on PCD still tickle me (she built them on lockets).

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