Polymer Clay Daily

Pheasant inspired cane

Meisha Barbee’s studio and store back up to the San Diego Zoo. Early Thursday morning she treated us to a walk through the zoo’s rain forest and we were thrilled to see an exotic pheasant’s colorful plummage revealed (see our video) in his mating dance. Meisha went on to work and we continued through the zoo.

When we met hours later Meisha had composed this cane based on our pleasant pheasant experience. I took a few quick snaps of her work in the Spanish Village shop she shares with her brother and sister-in-law. I’m still nagging her about her lack of a web presence. Here’s an earlier post about her work.

I’ll catch up with you and all my email next week. Have a colorful weekend.

French Bollywood workshop

The Slumdog Millionaire effect spilled over into a polymer clay workshop in France! Nathalie Sellem Legrain (Heurebleue) sent us a link to the pictures of the Bollywood workshop. The pictures of their dazzling dancing ladies will make you laugh.

The artists seemed to thrive as they draped their cut out dolls in fabrics created from stamped, layered and painted skinner blends. They continued the Indian motif in polymer frames that surrounded their creations.

Just like the movie, the workshop went from humble beginnings to a feel good ending. (It also reminds me of Susan Hyde’s angels.)

Road ramblings…

I’m cobbling together a post from your emails since I’m on vacation and laptop time is limited.

In response to yesterday’s post, Patty Barnes describes how she makes her Kemper cutters organized and portable.

“Since I have many sets of Kemper cutters and I like to take them to classes and meetings, I used a metal tin to hold them.

I pressed scrap clay inside the bottom of the tin so that it was about ½” thick. I cut out each shape with the cutters and baked the entire tin. Coating the cutters with cornstarch or ArmorAll and leaving the cutters in place during the baking helps. Polymer clay shrinks a tiny amount and leaving the cutters in place during baking makes for a better fit.”

Kylee Milner (Lunes Bijoux) sent along the link to some versatile, inexpensive pendant bails she found on Ebay.

Art Jewelry Magazine has two articles about Melanie West in their current issue. One is a look at Melanie’s solar-powered home and studio. The other is a tutorial on bonding seamless polymer over aluminum cuff armatures.

Today’s photo is from the Artful Home catalog where I searched on polymer clay and came up with four pages of mouthwatering jewelry and furniture. The credenza entitled Bending Birches by J.M. Syron and Bonnie Bishoff is covered with polymer clay marquetry. Here’s their home site.

Polymer tool holders

My Kemper polymer clay cutters were always running away from me. When I saw someone at a conference with theirs neatly corralled, I decided to do the same.

I never thought of showing this efficient helper off. I’ve seen other artists’ beautifully crafted tools (see this early shot of Celie Fago’s) and this one is no beauty. Recent visitors to my studio thought readers might find beauty in its efficiency.

I’ve since devised similar helpers for other tools (pictured here) that try to elude me. Roll up some scrap clay, press your must-have-handy tool into it, remove the tool and bake. Voila! A studio assistant!

Name that sculpture and win!

ToyCyte interviewed polymer clay illustrator Jessica Fortner this week. They’re offering one of her newest furry sculptures to the person who can name the new series. Catch a good read and a chance to win.

Jackson’s polymer ancients

At the local guild meeting Debbie Jackson brought this great polymer clay necklace she’d made. The mottled beads are done with a sprayed alcohol ink technique that she teaches (she calls them quail eggs). The other faux turquoise and scarab beads are so convincingly done that the entire effect is ancient and artful.

She has a knack for the imitative and the cultural artifact. Her book, Polymer Clay Jewelry, contains many of her best recipes.

I wish I’d taken a picture of Debbie who is growing a new crop of silky hair that looks quite trendy. Thanks to Jeanette Kandray who loaned me her camera at the meeting.

Note: I’m on the road (San Diego). Saw some lovely rocks on our long beach walk today. Great ideas for my polymer versions.

Welker’s inspiration

Polymer clay is often called the chameleon clay since it can simulate many media.

Germany’s Bettina Welker (Beadworx) credits the work of enamelist Angela Gerhard for the inspiration for her new polymer bracelets. Using that as her launching point, Bettina adapted the design and modified it for rings.

Cecile G’s pendant/bail design that I admired yesterday may have begun in a class taught by Bettina! Good designs often ebb and flow across countries and continents and it’s hard to keep up. Take a look at the Euro Clay Carnival’s international showcase to see how our chameleon clay is crossing boundaries.

Thanks to Ronna Weltman for sending the link along. Ronna says that Bettina “manages to combine radical edginess with sublime femininity.” Ronna is someone who knows edgy (see her new book, Ancient Modern).

Cecile’s simplissimes

France’s Cecile G has added some red polymer clay pendants to her site to brighten the season. Even though she’s working from established designs and techniques, her personal stamp on the work is remarkable and she brings her own voice to the pieces.

I’m fond of the way she’s crafted a companion bail on the red pendant. The color composition of these elongated beads is like a painting. Comb through her photos by clicking the links in the right column on her blog to get a good look at her polymer adventures.

Here’s an earlier post.

THANKS to Melody Tallon who spotted the broken email blog feature. If you didn’t get your post via email this week, you can blame my tinkering. Keep your fingers crossed that it works today.

Prophater’s polymer world

Laurie Prophater is the owner of a large trade showroom for interior designers here in Ohio. At work she’s surrounded by a wealth of design and color from around the world.

Laurie’s begun to share how that environment informs her polymer clay work in her blog, Ornamental Elements.

She’s also bravely sharing some of her experiments and works in progress (like the swirls and simulated glass tiles here) on her Flickr site. She’s on the right track and it’s going to be fun to see what develops.

You can see her earlier polymer clay transfers here.

Nowak’s polymer bead clusters

Austria’s Izabela Nowak recently made clusters of thin polymer clay tube beads by attaching each one to a link of chain. The resulting pendant is suspended from a larger chain as you can see by clicking the image.

The mixture of bright colors and companion patterns makes a flowing, sumptuous necklace…like ripe, modern grapes. Simple and effective construction is always a winner in my book. See an earlier post about Izabela here.

Rediscovering Russell and Pavelka

I stumbled on Lisa Pavelka’s spiffy new site as I was looking for the lowdown on the second Cabin Fever Fest (looks like it was a smash). Lisa’s site showcases her growing line of polymer clay tools and products.

I also rediscovered Kelly Russell (beadfuddled.com). Kelly’s first love is precious metal clay and I’d overlooked her dazzling polymer clay work which has been included in many books and magazines.

Start your week with their colorful inspirations and the latest tools and techniques.