Polymer Clay Daily

Fideka partners metal clay and polymer

Fideka's metal clay and polymer necklace

Anna Fideka of Warsaw, Poland turned up as I was rooting around in the metal clay artists’ sites (check out metalclaymagic and this Flickr pool).

Fideka's metal clay and polymer pendant

She studied Polish literature and journalism. For many years she worked as a journalist and released two books of poetry. In 2004 she discovered polymer clay and began her adventure in jewelry.

Seeing how our medium is mixing with our metal clay partners is exciting. Her Polish gallery sales site was impressive. Here are her Fickr pix.

This Just In

Libby Mills posted the Bead Dreams 2010 winners on her site. First Place Lynne Schwarzenberg; Second Place Lludmya Heggland; Third Place Janice Abarbanel. Check ’em out here.

Communicating with clay

Perrin's polymer illustration for the Fabulous Reggae Dogs

Polymer illustrators like Sylvie Perrin communicate cleverly with their clay art. These distressed fish looked particularly topical even though she made the illustration for a children’s series last year.

Checking her site and her blog from time to time is like a crash course in politics, pop culture and current events.

Second Look

One of yesterday’s commenters pointed out a slideshow about Joyce Fritz and her workspace that I had overlooked yesterday. It’s worth a second look here. Thanks Sylvia.

Polymer bugs

Wisconsin’s Joyce Fritz has been making her “Yipes” polymer clay bugs since 1993 and she has pieces in hundred of galleries and shops. “Bugs are a great vehicle for colors and pattern,” she says. “I like inventing my own species. It’s my chance to play God.”

Creating jewelry of butterflies, beetles, lady bugs, bees, grasshoppers, dragonflies and other critters is Fritz’s full-time occupation. She has about 70 bugs and critters in her line, and at least a third are new each year. She and part-time assistant Joan Berkopec make about 6,000 pieces a year.

Though the photos on her 2010 Web site are small, you can read great stories about her process here and in her alumni magazine. Her galleries show larger photos of her work here, here and here.

Moeller-Smith sail with polymer

Moeller-Smith polymer and sterling bracelet

Robbin Smith and Warren Moeller are artists, travelers, and sailors. They live with a parrot on a 43 foot sailboat, on which they have logged thousands of sea miles.

Robbin and Warren have designed and created several lines of jewelry using the natural elements that they have collected while sailing the South Pacific, often tying those elements together with polymer clay.

Moeller-Smith coral and polymer earrings

The influence of living and creating with the island people of the world for more than 25 years is represented in their work. They mix their contemporary sensibilities with those of the cultures around them. Don’t miss the accolade from Morgan Freeman on their site as well as their blog and Flickr pages.

Thanks to Betsy Baker for this lovely Monday diversion.

Prophater polymer cover girl

Laurie Prophater generously demoed her flat faux ivory bangles at a recent conference and I can tell you that they’re fun to make and wear. Zentangle aficionados loved the drawing and carving involved.

Read all about how to make these bracelets in the summer issue of Belle Armoire Jewelry magazine. In fact, Laurie’s the cover girl! You can find more examples on her Flickr pages.

Laurie’s in the decorating biz and her blog is full of links that will lead you to wonderful (and outrageously expensive) designers, fabrics and furniture. She’s on top of the latest trends and enjoys translating them into polymer.

Christi Friesen’s featured in the issue as well! I must get to the bookstore to see if I missed anyone else.

Finnish fun

Turha Luulo's shapes and blends

Look over the shoulder of the Finnish polymer clay artist, Raija Korpela who writes the blog, Turha Luulo. Using mostly simple shapes and clay cutters, she combines blends and cutout designs in unusual ways. A strong color sense brings sophistication to her design exercises.

Turha Luulo...bended scallops

You can tell that she’s exhuberant about polymer’s possibilities and her enthusiasm is contagious. Here’s her Flickr page.

If you can find her name, send it along. My Finnish is rusty. Eva Menager sent the link along.

Dustin struggles

Kathleen Dustin shares her struggles as a polymer artist in her most recent post. For years she’s enjoyed great success following the advice of a professor who encouraged her to “Make your work personal.”

“But, now I’m at a standstill. Where do I go from here?” she asks. “I want to still make my work personal, but am struggling with how to do that right now.”

“Art is hard work,” she concludes. Read her post here.

Polymer that remembers

Luann Udell's Lascaux horses in polymer clay
Williamson's distressed beads
Elvira Lopez del Prado's polymer bangles

Polymer clay simulates nothing better than ivory and bone. Here are three recent examples that caught my eye.

Luann Udell (those are her Lascaux horse sculptures) updates ancient stories with modern artifacts. “I use these modern artifacts to retell ancient stories, stories I feel have much to teach us today,” she says. Her post about telling stories through art is a good Monday read.

Genevieve Williamson’s distressed, faceted, and textured beads seem to have been unearthed from another time as well.

Elvira Lopez del Prado uses fragments of handwritten messages to hint at old stories and past lives on her newest line of bangles.

In the US, it’s Memorial Day…a good day for remembering and retelling stories.

Feel Good Friday

Arendt's polymer rot ringel

The polymer sculptures from Berlin’s Angelika Arendt make me feel good. Words escape me and I can’t explain.

I’ve learned to respect my gut which started singing the moment I landed on her site. The colors, the complexity, the textures. Even the blobs are appealing. I’ll just go with it. Here’s her Flickr page.

Arendt's polymer duschhaube

Speaking of feeling good, I was pleased to see my work and my faux bosom shown on Julie Eakes’ site. Look only at the work and ignore the augmentation Julie added in Photoshop. Have a feel good weekend.