France’s Laurence Pelee (Deco_laure) makes delightfully complicated hearts with a Mexican twist. They’re beaded and layered with wings and flowers and trinkets on shapes that swerve slightly.
Laure uses all her tricks on these small brooches – canes, mokume gane, stencils, paints, beads. It’s all there in lively and energetic colors.
UK’s Helen Cruickshank shows her love of cats in this project for a Valentine’s Day fundraiser (Colchester Caring for Our Cats Fundraising). She created one design of a cat in a heart shape and repeated it using a variety of veneers and canes.
Her way of repeating designs is perfect for those of us who quickly tire of making the same thing again and again. February 1 is Groundhog Day you know (the movie popped into my head).
Ever the clever girl, Helen has just published her second book, Polymer Clay for All Seasons, which contains a menagerie of 13 delightfully varied projects.
Seattle’s Anne Dofelmier (baublehaus) loves woman’s best friends in the form of earrings that are a tribute to Basset Hounds, Dachshunds, Pit Bulls, Greyhounds, Standard Poodles, Toy Poodles, Boston Terriers, French Bulldogs, Labrador, German Shepards, Australian Shepards, Cocker Spaniels, and Schnauzers. Her love is obvious.
Anne admits that she entertains herself in the studio by singing dramatically. “The problem is I often forget that you can see into the studio from the street,” On more than one occasion someone walking their dog has stopped to watch the show.
That show extends beyond dogs to atomic and retro designs in kitschy colors.
She’s dramatic and passionate snd great fun.
When Katie Way (BullsEyeStudioArt) moved from Alaska to Oklahoma to Texas she had to rethink lots of things. Downsizing, city life, climate change.
It was a natural time to shift her artwork too. This year’s valentines have a distinctly fresh look. Some city vibes, updated shapes, grunge, new colors, links.
These big changes are coming from her tiny home studio. She shares photos that will appeal to the gypsy artist that lives in a little corner of our hearts.
Hey, wanna see how other polymer artists live and work? We’ll poke our noses into messy back rooms and sleek studios in Saturday’s StudioMojo. Wanna peek?
New Mexico’s Gael Keyes finds wood scraps, adds polymer sculpted hands and faces, and dresses the emerging angels with bits of Southwest patterns that turn salvaged elements into art.
She tucks a test tube into each construction and gives it new life as a wall bud vase.
Gael has encountered fantastical bugs, birds, mushrooms, angels, and more along her polymer path. Each uses scrap in increasingly inventive ways. This one, ” Suficiente”, reminds us that we have enough.
Make three small curvy blends (white to orangy pink, orangy pink to darker pink, pink to nearly purple) then wrap them in thin black and pinch them so they bend around each other. There’s something special about these conjoined hearts from Lindsey of VividClay.
If you’ve seen Lindsey’s paradox cane tutorial on YouTube you know that she has a knack for manipulating blends in eye-catching ways. These hearts entwine in similar mesmerizing ways.
The latest batch of earrings from Cyprus’ Arieta Stavridou have a distinct folk look. These earrings will match the long embroidered skirts and fancy headgear of the village dance troupe.
Maybe these are for the trendy tourists. They have a strong ethnic vibe.
Arieta says making these earrings is play for her. She’s ventured into polymer painting and vessels. She carefully lays small pieces of color on black surfaces to build up patterns. Similar color palettes and designs run through all her works. Here she is on Facebook.
Vancouver’s Joan Tayler makes butterflies that will bring help when you need it. Her slim black polymer whistles are given wings and used as pendants or zipper pulls.
Blow on the bottom and help will arrive, predators will run away or people will just wonder why you’re making such a fuss.
In any event, they’re fun and great to hang on book bags.
Joan teaches you how to make your own in this tutorial or you can buy a plain whistle and decorate it yourself.
One good thing about this new year is that it will soon be time for a sprinkling of good luck from fairy art and fantasy sculptures like this Winter Baby from Belgium’s Enaidsworld.
No molds, all hand-sculpted, infused with charm and luck.
She’s had a hard time keeping up with demand and plans to have more on her blog and shop this year. Her fantasy folks are pure magic!
