Polymer Clay Daily

Loads of Pix

I was all set to send you to some mouthwatering polymer clay photos (like this "Spondylosis" from Maryland’s Rachel Gourley) when I realized that they were from a Lark’s 400 Polymer Clay Designs volume. Someone had simply scanned the book and put the pictures on her own photo site. Very tacky, very copyright sticky. Let’s not go there.

So instead, I found a stash of photos from the book on Google Books site which looks to be a legit use. Not only can you look at lots of pictures from this book, but you can thumb through pages and pages of information from many polymer clay books and get a very good idea of what a book’s about before you invest.

Perhaps I’m the last one to figure out this Google Books thing, but I’ve been having such fun here that I just had to share.

Sue Ossenberg recommends Fetchbook for the serious book shopper.

PCAGOE

There’s a freshness and energy in the Polymer Clay Artist’s Guild of Etsy. They’re a "street team," a grass-roots group actively engaged in getting the word out about Etsy.com and the value of buying handmade goods directly from the maker.

Each member must have at least five polymer clay items listed in his/her Etsy shop at all times. Its membership is geographically and philosophically diverse.

Check out the current featured Etsy artist, Marcia Palmer from Georgia whose work displays a wide range of styles and techniques. She uses rubber stamps in unusual ways that reflect a strong sense of style and message. Keep your eye on these folks.

Buggy

Utah’s Kim Detmers’ creepy crawly polymer clay artforms were a huge hit at the New England Pest Management Association’s winter training seminar and sold out within the first 15 minutes of the conference.

Now her creations can be found not only on on the pest control group’s web store but also on her Etsy site. Last year Detmers sold 650 bugs locally and at Utah Artists Hands Show and the Tubac, AZ Center. I’m particularly fond of the card holder above that she made for a local beekeeper.

Claudia Zafran-Rona (Kim’s fan and student) sent us to Etsy to check out Detmers’ other works like this new line of her art nouveau pins.

I hooked the computer up to the tivo/tv this weekend and spent lots of time on wiring and software and having computer fun with my son….which left me no time for the slideshow this week. Please keep signing the guestbook, the slideshow will be back.

Small World

It was like old home week except that I’d only met Todd Popp and Doug Motz online. Local gallery owner Sherrie Hawk threw a glitzy party for Motz and Popp (PoMo). Their polymer clay jewelry personalized to local and personal themes has developed quite a following.

Illustrator Jeanette Canyon was there (she’s got a new book) and we were surrounded by the works of Ford and Forlano which were on exhibit. Pretty heady, small world stuff.

Todd and Doug recently did a segment on HGTV’s That’s Clever about their bracelets that was playing in the gallery. They use hot glue to attach their photos to the glass pebbles and their process, which they generously share, is terrifically smart and easy. Be sure to take a look…and have an easy weekend.

String and Software

Ponsawan Silas’ necklace stringing slide show is worth a bit of clicking. (It first appeared as a very small image but if you click around or wait a bit it turns into a workable viewing version.)

Not only does Ponsawan string polymer clay beads in fanciful ways, but she makes very clever use of the slideshow software (and it’s free). No need for a video camera, just add your step-by-step pictures to a slideshow. Genius!

Make sure you scroll down her page and see the rest of her "wild things" necklaces.

Vacation on a String

A whole contingent of polymer clay artists have been experimenting with liquid polymer. Marcella Brooks has her mysterious process that we covered on Monday. Today we’ve got Carly Seibel who creates faux glass beads using the liquid stuff. Where have I been?

While I was looking at Carly’s site, I ran across this necklace that looks like a vacation on a string to me….a perfect July image. Her site shows a nice mixture of techniques and tutorials and her combinations of seed beads with polymer clay is very effective.

Faux Fabric

Fran Abrams’ small-scale three-dimensional polymer clay works are on exhibit through August 19 at the Delaplaine Visual Arts Education Center in Federick, MD. Many of her pieces are sculptural and are presented in deep shadow box frames. Viewers often think that they are seeing fabric. The piece at the left is called "Stay Warm."

"I find polymer clay fascinating because I can work with color, form and texture at the same time," says Abrams.

Mary Sumner sent the link along after her aunt saw the exhibit and remarked on the pieces. There’s not much on Abrams on the web and we’d love to see more of her work if you’ve got a source.

Temptation

Oregon’s Marcella Brooks is tempting us with a new liquid polymer transfer technique. The pictures on her photo site are intriguing and you can see a sample in this week’s slide show. Marcella’s liquid polymer expertise was also recognized in one of Polymer Clay Central’s challenges.

Says Marcella, "I’m still refining techniques and finding new applications. I’m able to coax sturdy but flexible design elements out of liquid polymer clay which normally wouldn’t be interested in doing much more than spreading out into colorful puddles. I wake up wondering what else I can do with it! For PolymerCafe’s upcoming Big Bead challenge, I submitted images of a 4" hollow bead featuring panels of liquid lace suspended on tulle netting."

This looks like a lovely new twist with great possibilities. Keep Marcella on your "must watch" list.

Dexterity

We end a busy week with busy polymer clay artist, Donna Kato and these lovely pieces from her latest book. Donna’s dexterity is a wonder and the ease with which she assembles these flawless inro constructions is remarkable.

Donna has some updated information about photo transfer papers (some formulations have changed) on her site along with a raft of pictures from her teaching travels around the world.

If you’re planning ahead for classes, save space on your calendar for Donna’s October 2008 cruise that departs from Tampa with a boatload of polymer clay teachers and a full roster of classes.