Thomas thinks outside the box

These polymer flowers with antique button centers were made by California’s Maureen Thomas for an “Outside the Box” show at PlacerArts center. She chronicles the progress of her project on her blog.

The flowers look so much like metal that I could hardly believe my eyes. Maureen gives a big hint about the technique she used in her blog post here. Clever girl.

Thanks to Randee Ketzel for bringing us the link.

Oops….I timed the post for the wrong time zone. I’m an April fool.

Western Easter

Montana’s Margaret Regan is one of the pioneers of polymer. If you’ve ever made a bangle bracelet on elastic, you can thank her for the idea.

These polymer covered eggs look so like my vacation terrain that I just had to add them. Margaret’s been making them for years and the raven cane is one of her signatures.

Her web site hasn’t changed much and she doesn’t promote herself much so you may have missed these treasures. Her work continues to be impeccably precise.

Sedona stones

My Sedona stones polymer bracelet is part of a continuing fascination with rocks, this time with flat shapes and western red rock colors. My petroglyphs, based on the ones we saw at nearby ruins, aren’t quite ready for display.

You’ll understand my obsession better when you look at the pictures from our hikes through the local canyons and along the rivers. Sedona is a rock lover’s paradise. Allowing your surroundings to influence your art is an immersive experience.

I was pleased to see the works of Barb Fajardo, Tish Collins and Gwen Pena in one gallery in town. Three in one gallery! Excellent!

Quilted polymer

Because my vacation mates are serging and sewing I’m drawn to France’s Cathy (Dumauvobleu) whose pendants resemble quilted and collaged fabrics. Here’s her Etsy shop.

Cathy textures layered and collaged canes and strips of colors to achieve a sunny mix that blends into a cohesive design.

The link comes to us from Betsy Baker. Betsy’s published some new work and a couple of tutorials that you’ll want to examine.

Dubious Denim

Several of us examined the photos of Sylvie Peraud’s new denim line, skeptical that the fabric could be made from polymer clay. We were forced to run the text through the translation from French which says, “Contrary to what your eyes tell you, there is no fabric here.”

Sylvie promises that she will reveal all her denim secrets on Donna Kato’s upcoming CraftEdu.com site. Meanwhile, marvel at her sleight of hand. We can’t figure it out.

The link first came to us from Randee Ketzel. Have an incredible weekend.

Spanish Samba

Silvia Ortiz de la Torre, another Madrid artist, has a Flickr site bulging with juicy experiments and designs like this polymer Samba collar. I’m a real fan of simple designs done in dynamite color palettes.

The Flickr pages allow us to follow the progress of her development and watch her work out new designs. Fascinating. Silvia is new to us via a link from France’s Eva Menager.

Navarro’s Nurbs

Madrid’s Chama Navarro gives us a break from colors and flowers with her new minimalist line of white, textured polymer clay.

Chama calls the collection her “Nurbs” and says she was inspired by the computer-generated mathematical models of the same name which are commonly used to represent freeform surfaces like aerospace exterior surfaces and car bodies.

Charma’s Nurbs look like organic forms trapped under a blanket begging to be touched. If you need color, visit the Flickr photos of her 2010 work.

Spring petals for your hair

In further pursuit of spring, France’s Delphine Roche de Montgrand brings us polymer petals that look fresh and fashionable pinned in long up-swept hair.

Her site has a whole section on bridal accents and I’m particularly keen on her chocolate tiara.

Vacation update

Our vacation group is finally sitting down to work with polymer after a week of hiking, exploring and entertaining family members on spring break.

Avoidance behavior kicked in and the first thing we felt compelled to do this morning was rearrange the studio. Oh the dances we do to get in the right groove.

Neumaier and Voila

Germany’s Kathrin Neumaier has me delighted and confused. I think that the complex geometric patterns and delicately drawn designs she brings to her work are image transfers onto polymer but I’m not absolutely sure.

Either way, I’m impressed with her colors and her attention to detail. Perhaps you can find something in the translation that I missed.

Kathrin is one of four German artists featured on the Euro Voila site this week. You’ll want to click through them all for a Monday shot of inspiration.

Maunsell’s transfers

These soft-focus egg-shaped polymer beads are signs of spring from Claire Maunsell. The effect is achieved with transfers of her artwork applied to a light pearl base. She swears that dark transfers are tricky but always work on warm soft clay.

Her latest hollow lentil transfer beads at the right were commissions that look like barely decipherable mysterious relics.

Claire’s friend, Genevieve Williamson, led me to these new works. Read Genevieve’s post about “Making the Jump” from metal to polymer. It’s the most eloquent explanation of the lure of polymer that I’ve read in a long time. Both friends switched to polymer (from glass and metal) when they found themselves without functioning studios.

Have a sunny weekend.

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