Polymer Clay Daily

Artists

PolymerArtArchive Launches

Who first started using a pasta machine for sheeting polymer clay? What persuaded Nan Roche to write a book about Fimo? The answers are at your fingertips.

On this day of giving and sharing Elise Winters presents to you a new site, PolymerArtArchive.com, which she hopes will become an essential reference for the serious study of polymer art, a resource for curators and editors.

Years ago Elise realized the value of preserving the early history of polymer clay and she began collecting slides and other memorabilia that she thought might one day be valued by art historians.

“Many of those ‘polymer pioneers’ became dear friends, and I wanted to make sure that their names and achievements would get full recognition and respect as the artists who laid the foundation for our flourishing art form,” says Elise.

“The efforts I’ve made to set up and maintain this website are in reality a bit of payback to my wide, supportive circle of friends, colleagues, and fellow artists in the polymer clay community. If, through Polymer Art Archive, I can return to my community some of the benefits you have freely given to me, I’ll feel a highly satisfied woman.”

Enjoy this gift from Elise and your fellow artists. Use it to educate and sustain your work through the coming year. Have a happy holiday.

Dustin Blogs

Scroll right over to Kathleen Dustin’s new blog. Kathleen reports on her polymer clay workshop at the international bead conference in Istanbul. It’s a good read even though the conference was a bust. She struck up a friendship with Turkish artist Alev Gozonar whose large works (shown here) impressed Kathleen and she taught a great class.

Kathleen’s a newbie blogger and I’m sure that clicks from you would boost her enthusiasm and her numbers. She’s had 400 visitors so far. Let’s all go over to her place and party. Have a merry weekend.

Young’s luminous Lumina

Arizona’s Camille Young works mostly in Lumina air dry polymer clay. She’s begun covering her wire and findings with clay so that her necklaces appear to sprout from the wearer and vine around them. She demonstrates her process on the site.

“I first start out with a length of the beading wire, and with crimping tubes, I attach shorter pieces of the beading wire to make loops, branches, etc. As I go, glass beads and pearls are added to complete the wire form,” she says.

A computer artist and painter, Camille gives her works a decidedly graphic feel and bright, exciting color. They’re for sale on her Etsy site.

Picarello at CFCF

Julie Picarello’s polymer clay pendants are soothing and her palette is like a cleansing breath in this hectic season.

Julie’s developing these designs for her Cabin Fever Clay Festival (CFCF) class. The festival is a hands-on event held in Laurel, MD February 17-20 prior to the Synergy Conference.

Other teachers at CFCF include Jana Roberts Benzon, Maureen Carlson, Christi Friesen, Donna Kato, Nan Roche, Marie Segal, and Sarah Shriver. Contact the organizers for more information.

At the ArtWay in Damascus, MD, you can catch a “Personal Containers” class with Seth Savarick before Synergy or enjoy a two-day “Beyond the Blend” class with Dan Cormier after Synergy ends. The Baltimore area will be a hotbed of polymer clay ideas and talent this February. Need a gift for yourself? No wrapping or shopping necessary!

Gordon’s Katrina Collection – Art Therapy

Lori K. Gordon’s Katrina Collection is composed of the rubble of her life. Gordon constructs art from the mounds of debris that covered her property, often using polymer clay to unify or embellish her pieces.

“I lost my home and studio in Clermont Harbor, Mississippi to a 35 foot wall of water and 150 mile per hour winds. In both a literal and a metaphorical sense, this series is composed of pieces of the storm,” says Gordon. The site requires some scrolling to capture the impact of this powerful story.

This link was sent by Lindly Haunani who’s recovering from her own natural disaster – a fall on the ice. Perhaps she’s taking comfort in Gordon’s story of healing after the storm. Be sure to send Lindly some merry wishes this holiday season.

Philadelphia’s “Perishables”

Don’t get too comfortable this Monday. Take a look at the edgy polymer clay work of Philadelphia’s “Perishables.” The Etsy artist calls his works, “Unusual, ostentanious creatures destined to enhance the visual identity of all those who wear it.” “Don’t wear it if you’re trying to be ignored,” he says.

The artist includes nuts, stones, shells, seeds and other found items among organic-looking polymer forms that writhe and undulate. The ear plugs make me wince and the models look tribal and angry. Still, I can’t look away from these eccentric pieces.

Good things for shaking up your sensibilities this week. Ronna Weltman sent the link.

Understanding Etsy

If the Etsy, DIY, craft mafia phenomena seem baffling, be sure to read Rob Walker’s piece in Sunday’s NYTimes. He paints a clear picture of the movement (70,000 Etsy sellers, average age 34, $4.3 million in sales in November) and hints at what it means and where it’s headed. Thanks to Rachel Carren for sending the article along.

Iterative Algorithmic Polymer Clay

No sooner did I get comfortable with Grant Diffendaffer’s engineer’s approach to polymer clay than my son sent me this “Iterative Algorithmic Plastic Sculpture: Fimo Fractals” from Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories.

Who knew we were creating Sierpinski triangles, exploiting its fractal self-similarity? It’s a mathematical abstraction that naturally emerges in real life. “By the time that we get to the 2187 triangles of the seventh iteration, we begin to reach the point of diminishing returns,” they tell us. (But you knew that.)

I started following the links and got in way over my head. It’s great to see our artwork from other perspectives. See how smart you are?

Diffendaffer’s Book

My mind doesn’t work like Grant Diffendaffer’s . Which is why his new book, Polymer Clay Beads, from Lark Books is just the ticket for me. Recursive beads? Mandrel-formed beads? It stretches and bends my brain.

I had to read the instructions…and then read them again. Slowly his processes began to make sense and small sparks began to light up my dormant engineer, math/science lobe.

The book is available now. Grant has a luscious portfolio of his work on his web site if you want to sample his techniques there first.

Dunn’s Shibori

Judy Dunn has done some clever things with simple polymer clay shapes. By combining a single shape covered with companion patterns in eye-pleasing palettes, she’s created an exciting new series that she calls Shibori.

Again we see how working in a group (see the earlier post on Dayle Doroshow’s theory about making multiples) forces artists to explore and refine…and ultimately improve their concepts. You can see this theory working as you scroll through Judy’s slideshow.