Lindly Haunani has watched her Niche Award-winning pinched petal design evolve and change as the idea spread around the globe. The latest incarnation is this brooch version from Jeanette Kandray. Here Lindly’s pinched petals meet Eva Ehmeier’s artichokes.
Lindly chronicles some of the earlier versions on her blog. The process for making her original necklace is outlined as a color study in the Color Inspirations book.
The once-snubbed material is making a grand entrance in the art world, thanks to one woman’s vision and drive.
That’s the tag line for polymer’s coming out story in American Craft Magazine this month and you can read the whole article here.
Written by Monica Moses it celebrates the efforts of Elise Winters and a host of artists who have muscled their way into museums by demonstrating the power of polymer. The pieces chosen for this article were drawn from the upcoming RAM exhibit and you can sneak a mouthwatering peek at the catalog.
Smaller chunks of the collection Elise gathered have gone to the Philadelphia Museum of Art; the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; the Newark Museum; and the Mingei International Museum in San Diego.
As Elise’s husband Woody says, “We’re stepping on the surface of a new world, just beginning an artistic exploration of a medium that will reveal itself for decades to come.” Read all his comments on the PolymerArtArchive blog.
This Bohemian Nouveau mixed media wall piece by Heather Campbell leads us down her unusual polymer path. She tends toward large, ornate mixed media pieces that tell fanciful stories.
Heather says, “I am drawn to the wandering nontraditional nature of the Bohemian, which is evident in the shapes and layers of color and the intermingling of techniques. I am captivated by the beautiful flowing scrolls, floral motifs and distinct design elements of the Art Nouveau era. Together they seem to merge into a style and feeling that reflect my own life experience.”
The background on this piece is done with a faux batik polymer technique that Heather details in an article that was published in the July issue of Art Jewelry Magazine. You can download the template (shown at the right) for Heather’s sample batik from the magazine’s website.
A Modern Media Comes of Age says Jill DeDominicis in her article about polymer clay in the current issue of Ornament Magazine. The article, which is available online, gives you a comprehensive look at where we’ve come since the first FIMOIK kit hit the shelves in Germany back in 1954. Fimo made its way to the U.S. in 1966.
Few will recognize Sophie Rehbinder-Kruse, the inventor of Fimo, pictured here with her two children. The article’s timeline is particularly interesting and contains lovely examples.
Knowing your ancestry is important because here at PCD you and I are in the business of stretching the timeline forward and adding new names.
The Ornament article is prelude to the Racine Art Museum’s upcoming Terra Nova: Polymer Art at the Crossroads exhibit which promises to be another groundbreaking event.
School’s out! Jenn McGlon knows what’s coming up next! She and her friends over at SpookyTimeJingles are already gearing up for the Fourth of July with an offering of Americana art like these painted polymer Luettes.
The Spooky folks have jumped ahead to their favorite fall holiday as well.
Updates
A new, air dry polymer clay? DeCoRé is quite pricey but might be just the thing when you want to add inclusions that can’t take the heat of baking. Read more. Ronna Weltman sent us the link.
Julie Picarello’s new book, Patterns In Polymer, is a joy to read and to learn from! The copy is engaging and the techniques are dynamite.
The Green issue of the From Polymer to Art quarterly magazine has arrived. For U.S. readers, PolkaDotCreations carries this Netherlands publication.
Julie Eakes‘ latest polymer face cane started out from her pop art drawing. She chronicles her caning successes and misteps on her blog. Reading along is both instructional and entertaining as she remedies her mistakes.
To the left is a finished piece from the pop art cane. The pendant has a domed surface that you miss in this picture but which adds to its smooth sultriness (achieved with olive oil, I believe).
Julie doesn’t sell much of her work, preferring to experiment, teach and share her art and her humor. Her new book just out is “Clay Classics Inspired by Zentangle.”
I was looking for polymer that was springy and required no explanation since I’m fresh out of words.
Luckily Silvia Ortiz de la Torre posted this necklace that fit my requirements precisely. If Google translator is accurate, this is Silvia’s rendition of beads from a tutorial by fellow Spaniard, Natalia Garcia de Leaniz that appeared in the new From Polymer to Art magazine (the Blue edition). They’re super textured and built on cores of crumpled foil to keep them light. Silvia uses eye-catching graduated color on the base beads.
Let me know if I botched the translation. The beads are exuberant in any language!
This polymer scarf pin from Julie Picarello provides another good choice for keeping warm with a spot of polymer. Julie’s style is distinct and her special techniques are laid out in her new book, Patterns in Polymer which is due out this spring. The yummy pictures on her Flickr pages give you a taste of what’s ahead.
Another upcoming book popped up in that dangerous “you might also like” section on Amazon. Masters of Polymer Clay will show the dazzling works of 40 of our most noted fellow artists. Looks like this spring’s crop of books will be a good one.
Holiday festivities and travel almost made me forget that I’m scheduled to teach classes in Worthington’s lovely MAC art facility starting January 5 for six weeks. As on PCDaily, my classes will offer a smorgasbord of polymer possibilities. Help me spread the word! Thanks!
You may note more food references than usual slipping into my vocabulary. I’m on the road and the free wifi networks at restaurants are having a subliminal effect!
Dayle Doroshow and I created Creative Sparks, a little gem of a book, and it’s time to spread a little holiday cheer with a book giveaway.
To enter, respond to this post with your comment. We’ll choose a winner on Saturday. Did I mention that Sparks is filled with Dayle’s great tricks for keeping your spirits up in the studio?
Looking at so many of your lovely polymer creations makes it hard to hush my inner critic when I get my hands on clay. Dayle’s tips showed me ways to navigate around the obstacles that get in the way of creative joy. I include pictures and comments about my results.
If you’re trying to organize for the new year, check out Laura Balombini’s polymer teapots calendar. She posted about it on Facebook. It’s $20 plus shipping. Write her to order yours.
Sandra McCaw’s work launches us to the east coast. Two of her entries are finalists in the Niche Awards. These earrings have been named in the Fashion Jewelry category and one of her signature necklaces was selected in the Polymer Clay group. Both pieces showcase her ability, “…to create complex patterns where lines seem to lose their distinction and blend, and where colors bloom and merge.”
If you’re near Rhode Island, Sandra is scheduled in the Pawtucket Foundry Artists Show starting December 3.
And speaking of the holidays, Dayle Doroshow and I have put together an inspirational volume that’s chock full of Dayle’s famous tricks for easing you back into the studio when your muse goes missing. Creative Sparks is full of luscious pictures and powerful tips. Preview and purchase it here.
