Wild and wonderful Sarah Shriver is not to be overlooked as one of the cover girls of the month! I haven’t read the article in Belle Armoire but I hear that she’s the centerfold.
If you’ve ever tried to replicate one of her precisely repeating kaleidoscope canes then added tiny striped edges and attempted a pillow bead, you’ll begin to understand why Sarah’s work is cover material.
Here’s a nice variation from Jayne Hoffman of Portland. You’ll see more samples on her Jayzor site. Jayne comes from a quilting background which comes through in her works.
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I wandered into Kate McKinnon’s site, intrigued by the ring mounts she offers. Kate works primarily in metal and glass but I detected a polymer sensibility. I kept sleuthing and stumbled onto her journal where I came across two Cynthia Toops’ pieces…aha! My sense was right. The top one she called "Moss" and the bottom one, "Conversation".
I’m only disappointed that I don’t know the exact size of these pieces. I’ve seen Toops’ work in several galleries and the incredible detail of her micro-mosaics doesn’t come across as well in photos. Still they’re fun to look at and Kate’s site is fun to browse.
Even the Columbus paper proclaimed chunky jewelry a fashion trend for 2006. Let’s hear it for polymer beads which, often as not, fall into the chunky category.
"Say hello to big hair, big shades and big jewelry in ’06." says the Dispatch. "It’s very much a ‘world story’ in accessories for ’06 with a lot of ethnic influences: African tribal with wooden beads and bangles in neutral colors. The Russian influence in a lot of accessories this season will transition into more of a Turkish and Mediterranean look of embellishments. There’s also a nautical influence with seashells. Overall, everything (handbags, jewelry, belts, etc.) is very handcrafted-looking with a lot of texture."
Check out the trendy look (pictured above) on Emma Ralph’s site in the UK. The bracelet is by Jean Yates (at the bottom of her online store).
And this from BusinessWire – Artisanal is the New Product Adjective — This is a correlating trend to the food focus and this year artisanal will go way beyond a descriptor for just cheese made by monks using milk from nomadic yaks. We will see it attached to coffee and chocolate as well as non food products. There are already artisanal knives, jewelry and home accessories in catalogs and stores. I am sure there is a small band of workers in New Jersey right now hand making something that will be in the stores next month labeled artisanal. By the way, artisanal means made by an artisan aka a skilled worker.
From Kaz and our polymer clay friends in Japan we received this New Year polymer dog for the year 2006. This is an image of a Komainu, a popular guardian dog at temples and shrines in Japan.
An auspicious beginning for our artistic new year. How can you help but predict good things for 2006?
Happy New Year
Charles Mayer is a homegrown Ohio legend from Sandusky, Ohio. There’s not much of his work online but what’s there will give you an idea of his talent and his attention to detail. His filigree work is phenomenal.
The piece pictured here is a two-sided puzzle with filigree, photo transfer and stamped areas. Take a look at the Ohio Lakeshore Polymer Clay Guild’s page of Charles’ work.
A retired art teacher, Charles’ has a distinguished history of support for Ohio arts and artists.
Canadian Gera Scott Chandler came upon the idea for "ethni’Zens", the first of her art dolls when she was beachcombing and stopped to study the form of some bull kelp that was strewn upon the sand.
Says Gera, "I saw the suggestion of a long skirt cascading from a dancer’s hips and visualized an exciting way to combine polymer clay with fiber and found materials to create an evocative character who is subtly beautiful and unabashedly aloof."
Gera’s studio is located in Victoria BC. Her site’s full of eye candy. Thanks to Laura McIntosh for the tip and the link to her Southern Ontario guild.
Dan Cormier and Tracy Holmes will teach in San Diego for a double weekend January 14 and 15 then January 21 and 22. Classes are $140 for both days for guild members or $160 for non-members.
As I cruise through hundreds of polymer sites, I have become a firm believer in Dan’s approach to "finishing right from the start." So much polymer work suffers from a lack of attention to finishing.
I wish I were nearer San Diego so that I could learn more. Look on the guild’s site for information and for pictures (black necklace, pin and domed necklace) of their beautifully finished works .
I was just going to lounge today but a hot tip from Jan Norwood sent me to funnysculptures.com and I just can't wait to introduce you to the work of this nutty polymer person. Marcia Rocha is a Brazilian-born artist now based in New York, if I'm reading her web site correctly.
If you're in the post-holiday doldrums, this will pick you up in a hurry. Thanks to Jan for the tip.
A little diversion today. It’s not polymer but it’s close. This button site was just too nicely designed and too colorful to pass up. The button designs could easily be translated to polymer. Give it some thought.
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