It's a dark and stormy morning…just the right kind of day to visit Michelle Steele. Michelle's an Ohio girl (she lists her age as 106) who's been sculpting away since we last took a look in December. It's worth another cruise through her updated site. Her work is dark and wonderful.
Elise Winters has added some delicious new work to her site. What a great way to start your week. I'm particularly fond of her undulating cuff bracelets.
Elise also participated in one of Craftcast's podcasts. The half hour show starts slowly but it's worth persisting (or fast-forwarding) to the second half when Elise talks about envy, inspiration and pricing.
Elise is a spokesperson for the Englewood Hospital Breast Cancer Walk for Awareness on October 22. As a thank you, Elise sends donors a small polymer clay pink ribbon pin.
Yesterday's post reminded me of these recent pictures of a slice of a polymer clay face cane that Maureen Carlson gently brought to life. I watched her ease a fresh cane slice made by Klew over a face-shaped dome of clay, transforming it into a much more lifelike piece. I was amazed at the impact of the third dimension and at how simply it was accomplished (in the hands of an expert).
Have a colorful fall weekend.
I'm just flabbergasted by the polymer clay sculptures of Maria Brito now on display in the Bernice Steinbaum Gallery in Miami, Florida. In this show, 20 white polymer clay tableaux depict in three dimensions the themes from Los Caprichos, the "black paintings" of Francisco de Goya from the late 1700s.
Says Brito, "I began to work with polymer clay making small figures. And the more I worked with it the more I got to know its pros and cons. I was able to achieve a degree of detail that I was really enjoying."
Thanks to Susan Rose for sharing this link and introducing us to these marvelous sculptures.
These mosaics by British artist Cleo Mussi make my mouth water. It's easy to see how Mussi began in fabrics and migrated to mosaics. The size of her works is impressive as well.
Her site is just pure pleasure to wander through and full of inspiration. Thanks to Hawaii's Karen Shiroma for this great link.
True to her word, Sharon Sahl has launched her new web site so that her loyal Columbus, Ohio customers can continue to get their annual "fix."
Sharon's small polymer clay ornaments are crafted with such loving detail that she naturally drew faithful fans who crowded her open house shows every fall. Some of her customers now have huge collections and were worried that her move to Kirkland, Washington would end their acquisitions.
Not so! You have to call to order and a wide selection is available. Sharon's gingerbread houses bring me joy every season. She's not offering them this year but may in the future. And don't miss a look at her canes!
Between Robert Dancik's PMC/Polymer class (see his pmc/polymer earrings at the left) and Maggie Maggio's color class here in Columbus this weekend we're chock full of information and ideas. My head is spinning this Monday morning.
It was interesting that after all was said and done, each of the teachers came back to the "trust your gut" theme. What matters most is being true to your own vision.
I've been listening to Thomas Moore on Creativity who talks about artists following their "daimon." It's worth a listen.
PCDaily is not about promoting products (note to self). Voice, authenticity, daring, quirkiness…that's what we hunt for in polymer clay art. And one way to express yourself clearly is by making your own tools, textures, stamps and transfers.
Victoria James' silicon plates look like the results of long walks in the woods. If yesterday's textures piqued your interest, be sure to check out today's links to Victoria's plates for sale along with ideas for making your own. She'll be demoing her techniques at the San Diego guild's Sandy Camp next week. We hope the group will send us some pictures (hint, hint).
Fall in Ohio is just full of color and texture. I hope you can get outside and soak in all the beauty this weekend.
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.
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.
