These pieces from Germany’s Olja (@olgasmodeschmuck) look like men’s silk tie patterns.
There’s something very buttoned-down and crisp about the blue gradations intersected by gold lines. The bail is made from the same clay.
The polka-dotted element loosens up the tight geometry.
I couldn’t find much info on Olja. Care to comment with some details or links?
We thought we’d seen black and white manipulated and stretched and combined in every way possible. Then UK’s Carol Blackburn took another look and came up with this Barcode necklace.
It’s made of her hollow tetra beads, dimensional shapes that remind me of small cream containers and fancy tea bags.
So not only are the striped patterns confounding, but the shapes add another layer of difficulty. The most magical thing is that her methods are actually elegantly simple. Here’s hoping she adds this to her upcoming classes.
Will 2020 polymer look more like Poland’s Nadia Elkina’s mosaic brooch? Dimensional, mixed, polychromatic?
It’s hard to tell which elements are which medium. And who really cares? It’s the overall snap, crackle, and pop that makes this piece compelling. Look even further ahead on IG here.
Join us this weekend over at StudioMojo where we’ll have our eye on new and interesting directions we can expect in polymer 2020. Who can predict? We’re gonna try. Come on over and add your two cents.
There’s plenty of party left in Washington’s Kristi Thorndike-Kent and Jen Young (Go Inside and Clay).
These joyful hearts are made from bits of color, slab work, and wire. Look at their Instagram to see how they’ve skipped right ahead to Valentine’s Day. Lookout 2020!
In this video, UK’s Carol Blackburn cuts up small graduated canes and overlaps the pieces to form her kaleidoscope veneers.
Forgive the background chatter and listen closely to learn about some of her homegrown tools and tips. Carol has developed loads of these small geometric sleights of hand that she teaches in workshops.
This video from StudioMojo is an easy one to try when you’re done with the holidays.
Today’s end-of-the-year video treat comes from Ohio’s Carissa Nichols.
There’s nothing quite so soothing as her way of taking bits of scrap and creating a swirled lentil or bicone bead.
In this tiny tutorial from StudioMojo, Carissa helps you get the hang of the body movements required for a creative and meditative trick.
For the last few days of the year, PCD will feature some favorite interviews and tutorials from 2019 editions of StudioMojo, the weekly insiders wrap up.
When I spot an interesting work in progress I often ask, “What are you doing?” If the artist agrees, I take out my phone and lean over for a short and sweet look as in this demo from Florida’s Lynn Yuhr.
Lynn sparks all kinds of ideas for using liquid clay in this 2019 quickie.
Luminous, bright, moving Madonna and Child from Washington’s Susan Hyde.
I’d almost forgotten how much I loved my collection of Susan’s works until I saw that Debbie Jackson had featured Susan’s angels on her Facebook post.
This 7″ Madonna hangs on the wall behind my computer desk and is a perfect polymer touch for a merry PCD Christmas. Here are pendants from Susan’s 2019 collection.
Janis, Jimi, Jim, Prince, the Hotel California, the Grateful Dead on hollow pods!
Perhaps Donna Kato’s beads are a strange choice for Christmas Eve but a it’s a tip of the hat and a nudge for my hippie husband.
These are compelling class samples from Donna’s half-day class at the Atlantic Clay Escape next October 6-10. Plan ahead! Put this class under your tree!
France’s Sonya Girodon calls her spare, minimalist, mixed-media brooch Silent Night.
It’s made of wood, paper, polymer, acrylic paint and stainless steel. Sonya is addressing issues with its waterproof qualities and new brooch mechanisms.
As the season ratchets up to a frenzy, it’s a relief to consider Sonya’s calmer view.
