I love this wall sculpture by Christi Friesen so very like our family gatherings this time of year. You may be able to identify some of your relatives in the shrunken heads section of Christi's site.
Remember to be charitable and tolerant of one and all and give thanks for those differences that make our world and our art so varied.
I recommend Christi's wonderful self-published books. They're inexpensive, well designed, instructional and a great read (good gifts).
We're all moving into high gear for the holiday. These earrings by Maryland's "Sooz" (she's traveling incognito) are in the spirit. Sometimes whimsy is just what's called for.
A smile for you as you go off to the grocery store.
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When we left our vacationers, Maggie was resurrecting 20 pounds of Fimo which she had mixed into colorful blocks 10 years ago for a grand production plan that was interrupted by a household move and other of life's vagaries. It seemed a shame to waste all that clay which at one point was lost in the depths of a warm warehouse.
You'll be happy to know that the old crumbly "Terrazzo" canes were being turned into stunning pins and earrings. I'm only sorry that I didn't have time to take more pictures. Perhaps Maggie will send some. Yes, indeed, you can salvage very old polymer clay.
I'm back from the wild west and into the land of green grass, moist air and blessed broadband. Today it's also the land of laundry and voicemail and catching up at the office. I hope to be back in the swing tomorrow.
Switzerland's Nadja Fuenfsinn sent this link to Maine's Melanie West's new site. Long way around the barn, eh?
Not only is Melanie's jewelry fun to look at (nice use of those colored scrapbooking rivets) but she's got bracelet blanks and great print screens for sale.
Some nameless fellow vacationer mistook the timer for the oven thermometer resulting in this homage to Dali. Thanks for all your kind comments and link tips this week. The dialup connection is keeping me from exploring too far or responding quickly.
I did take a quick browse of the sushi clock link from Susan Rose and the "Studio Lockdown" (what a concept) site from Sam (Samantha) Parcels. They all make me smile and I thought you might enjoy them too.
I'm working with clay this week on vacation! I'd forgotten what fun it is to try something new. Much as I shy away from featuring my own work, I just had to show you this.
I have kept printouts from fiber artist Liz Alpert Fay in my idea book and decided to build a cane similar to her "Compass Variations" hooked rug as an exercise in pattern deconstruction and cane building.
I'm not so sure they work as beads but the flat cane slices are spot on the original pattern. I've got to hand it to Lindly Haunani and Maggie Maggio. Had it not been for their color coaching over the years, I'd never have been able to do this. And many thanks to Liz Alpert Fay for her great rugs, pillows and inspirations.
These lovely little alien creatures (very marshmallowy) have been taking shape beside me in the hands of Dayle Doroshow. Not only are they tactile and and playful, they also glow with a hint of glitter (hard to capture here).
I always thought that Fimo's glitter clay had little use and found its color range too limiting. Dayle thought so too until she started mixing it into her usual palette. The resulting colors are delicious.
It's such fun to make these discoveries (I can resurrect that old glitter clay) when you're just playing around and leaning over talented friends' shoulders.
The computer gods are toying with me while I'm on vacation. They've decided to teach me patience by offering only a dial-up connection. How cruel is that?
Check out the photos of Judy Kuskin's lovely new works on her updated site.
Bonnie Bishoff and J.M. Syron made this mahogany-and-polymer-clay-veneered "Sea and Sky Altar Coffer," for "Inspired by China, Contemporary Furnituremakers Explore Chinese Traditions," an exhibit which brings together 29 stellar examples of historic Chinese furniture, with 28 works made specifically for the exhibition at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts.
There's a great companion web site that tells all about the show. It's exciting to hear Bonnie talk about her technique in the "Voices of the Makers" section. You'll find her talking in the "The Journey" video section and it's worth a listen.
The exhibition is filled with diverse interpretations of Chinese culture and tradition. It opened November 11 in Salem, Massachusetts and travels to the Museum of Art in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Nov. 30, 2007 until March 31, 2008.
Indiana's Camille Young is today's discovery by way of Naama Zamir in Israel. Small world.
Not only is Camille new to me (she's 25 and recently moved from Arizona to Indiana) but I was also unfamiliar with the Lumina clay which she uses. Camille says, "The clay comes only in transparent white so I mixed in acrylic paints to get all the different colors."
I'm absolutely tongue-tied about her work. Rather than try to explain it, you'll have to go look for yourself. Camille is a talent we'll want to watch closely. She's got lots of work on the web to see at Flickr, her own site and some art sites. Many thanks to Naama for the link.
And don't miss the short video on her blog (it's the first post under "blog").
