Polymer Clay Daily

Canadian guild

Speaking of guild sites, you should probably take a look at the Southern Ontario Guild's site too. There's some very good work in the gallery – like these spiral topped containers from Margi Laurin. (The guild's server is a bit sluggish so try again later if it kicks you off. The links below work fine.)

And you're a link away from another treasure of that guild. Member Helen Breil's texture plates are now available from Canadian supplier, Shades of Clay.

Helen's first shipment of these quirky and touchable textures sold out quickly. She's bulked up her inventory so that you can confidently order them.

For the DIYers, note that at the bottom of the texture sheet page Helen offers an 8-page "Creating Your Own Texture Sheets" booklet.

German guild

Don't you wish your guild had a site like PolyClayKunst.de? I can't read German but the pages are so lovely and well-organized that it hardly matters.

They've recently added a gallery of their members' works. The necklace at the left is from the Nadja Fünfsinn page. And Mona Kissel from West Virginia is listed in members gallery. Small world.

There's a lovely tutorial of Maggie Maggio's watercolors plus a couple of others to mull over. Thanks to web mistress Bettina Welker and to Janet Hoy for reminding us to take a second look.

Dreams

Paula Pindroh from Lakewood, Ohio, joins the ranks of polymer clay illustrators (see the new category in the right hand column).

Artists like Meredith Dittmar, Doreen Gay-Kassel, Sylvie Perrin, Marcia Rocha and others take the clay in a direction that few of us pursue and many of us admire. Most of these illustrators started out working on paper and were lured to polymer because of its three dimensional possibilities and the immediacy of its color.

Thanks to Susan Rose for the link. 

Road Show

The Holmes/Cormier team is taking the show on the road this fall. From Montreal to Maryland, Tracy and Dan will be serving up a series of workshops showing you how to make better beads on the cutting edge. The duo is entertaining as well as informative.

In Tracy's one-day workshop she reveals the secrets of her polymer beach pebbles which are indistinguishable from the real thing (but much lighter weight). Check the class listing for a class near you.

Printing

Potter, poet, printer Ebby Malmgren finds that she can call upon all her talents by using polymer clay for her printing plates. "Soon after I started making prints I realized I missed the 3-D possibilities of clay and it occurred to me that polymer clay might be a solution," says Malmgren.

Her detailed description of the process makes me want to experiment. See one of her prints at the left and the polymer printing plate at right.

The artist splits her time between Annapolis, Maryland and Taos, New Mexico. She recently received a lifetime achievement award from the Arts Council of Anne Arundel County. Many thanks to Susan Rose who alerted me to this wonderful artist.

Rattlers

Jana Roberts Benzon has a designed a necklace that says "Beware!"

Jana was inspired by the rattlesnakes in Utah and simulated their warning signal in a polymer clay necklace. Her "Vrindavana Rattlers" are much more colorful than the snake's and they rattle when shaken.

DaVinci

I've sent you to this site before and it's time for another look. Velvet DaVinci has changed its format a bit and beefed up the artists' sites.

I salivate when I hover over the links that say "more images." And the portraits of the artists feel like an added bonus.

Did I mention that there's no polymer clay represented here? Their loss. The designs are spectacular. Thanks go to Ronna Weltman for the link reminder. 

Loco

Whenever I'm stuck in the design doldrums, I head for France (well French web sites) to give myself a whole new look.

I'm not sure who's behind "Benita Loco" but the site is chock full of strange and interesting polymer clay creations. The technique is usually rough but the sensibility is self-assured and chic. And the necks of the models are always young and lovely.

If you tire of the polymer section, you'll find colorful treats in the rest of the site too.

Magnetism

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't stay focused on polymer in my web surfing last weekend. I ended up ordering books and CDs and this wonderful ring (actually, two are pictured here) from Dynomighty.com. Magnetic jewelry has always intrigued me and a magnetic ring offered too many possibilities to resist.

I'm hoping I can cover this baby with polymer clay. Think it's possible? My favorite magnet user is Cathy Johnston who closes her perfect miniature books/pins and purses (scroll down her class page to see this wonderful design) with magnetic clasps.

Look to the right on the home page. I've added a select list of recommended blogs in the right hand column. I'll keep the list short so as not to overwhelm you. These blogs are quite special. Happy Monday.

Great minds

The person behind yesterday's "empty vessel" blog is none other than Susan Rose who's been forwarding terrific links to me for months! Small world. Beautiful blog. Bookmark it.

And of course she's sent a couple perfect links to round out our week of "intensity." While artworks made from fruit pits and spools of thread may seem a long way from polymer clay, they round out our week of demonstrating how what's in your head and your heart translate into art.