Here’s lovely simple design from Mike Buessler. Elizabeth Campbell at has a few of Mike’s pieces pictured on her site.
Mike has shifted his focus to music and left polymer behind. Our loss. He is a master at synthesizing concepts and reducing elements down to simple processes.
I’m still collecting great "simple" polymer art. Here’s Helen Breil’s brooch which combines good color, surprising texture and great shape. Simple and very effective.
Her site contains more examples.
Readers have prompted me to make some clarifications and upgrades. I’ll be modifying the navigation to make the new photo gallery more prominent (that’s new and I wasn’t sure it would work…but it does).
Pingree is a mystery to some viewers. It was my initial posting made at the request of the Rocky Mountain group and it’s password protected because they’re shy. I’ll move it to a less prominent spot but I have to thank them for launching me.
Howard, the Italian Pongo man, added a clarification. First, Pongo is plasticene and it doesn’t harden. Second, Howard is from New York! The site is a stitch…even if it isn’t polymer and he isn’t Italian.
Your comments and tips are very important to me. Thanks and keep ’em coming.
I’m a great fan of what young designers are doing with polymer. Florida’s Heather Wynn shows us some terrific examples. Her transfers and mokume gane show a different way of applying and using the media.
Heather’s ideas are showcased nicely by her web site. I’m fond of the way she photographs her work…soft, from many angles, with uncomplicated backgrounds, a bit mysterious. Usually I have a bias against "flash" web sites and this one loads slowly. It’s worth the wait. Her polymer works are in galleries 2, 3, and 4. And thanks to Jan Norwood for the tip!
Call it spring fever. Call it desperation. I’ve got nothing but myself to write about today so here’s the latest inlaid bowl that my husband turned and I inlaid with polymer.
After years of making polymer jewelry, I moved over to the housewares department. It was great fun to add knobs, switchplates and lights in our little Marrakech bathroom. The sink is a walnut bowl inlaid with matching polymer, naturally. And the tub surround is roofing copper. Add candles and bathsalts and a bath becomes a very exotic experience.
So there you have it. Now all I have to do is find something for tomorrow!
Hmmm…here’s a treat for your Monday morning. A new site from Deborah Banyas and her husband, T.P. Speer.
It’s a yummy site and I especially like the studio shots (scroll down to see them). Don’t we all want to live in a place like hers with a wild and colorful garden? And I feel compelled to remind you that she’s from Ohio.
This should start your week off right.
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This exhibit from last fall at the White Lotus Gallery in Eugene, Oregon, caught my eye. Multiple Palettes/Varied Visions: 30 Jewelers Explore Color covers a variety of media and their emphasis on color is instructive even though only a few (MaryandLouAnn and FordForlano) are polymer artists.
You’ll find lots of inspiration here. Be sure to visit the site of metalsmiths Barbara Minor and Christopher Hentz, Lulu Smith, Ellen Wieske, Deb Karash and others for the complete color experience.
Portland, Oregon's Meredith Dittmar first started sculpting while trying to avoid getting her computer science degree. After graduating she worked as an interactive designer/programmer and her digital works have been shown in international film festivals, exhibits and magazines.
For the past ten years, she's put the digital realm on the backburner to pursue her three-dimensional passion. The first "guys" were made in 1994 when she discovered polymer clay.
Ever since that day, a steady flow has continued. Thousands have been created and no two were alike until the recent "clones" series. "Guys" are made out of premo and flexible sculpey.
They're quirky, colorful and fresh. And you can put them on your phone or watch a Converse Video (scroll through until you hit "Polymer Playground") of these creatures.
I don’t know much about this artist…Howard from Como, Italy…but thought we should tip our hats toward the Olympic hosts this week. This one’s called "Pocketbook".
Pongo is apparently the Italian version of polymer clay and Howard sculpts all kinds of delightful things. You can buy his images on cups and shirts in addition to his pongo pieces.
The comments on his site are hilarious…."I can’t believe you did a pongo of my pre-operative uterus Howard. How sweet." Only the Italians could bring us this art! We should all learn to be so playful.
Karen Woods has some new works on her site. My favorites are her collaborative works with beadweaving artists. Some of the best in polymer team up with others to produce doubly interesting work.
If you’re looking for something to enliven your creations, consider enlisting artist friends in other media.
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I’ve finished monkeying around. These finger puppets made from polymer were a vacation shopping find and I promptly forgot the artist’s name. She’s a Whidbey Island artist with some wonderful characters in her head. Her work is at the Bayview Art Center on Whidbey (sorry, no web links).
I pondered what to do with these pages, fretted over where I’d find new things, and considered where the art of polymer is headed. A week of pondering while looking at the water and visiting with friends is theraputic and I’m ready to dive back in.
