Finland’s Pörrö Sahlberg and Petteri Leppikallio collaborated on this 13″ polymer and wood cabinet that appears in the latest Lark book, 500 Cabinets. Their Trilobite Cabin is made of polymer, dye, sand and larch (wood).
I’m not sure if other polymer artists appear in the book but I’m happy to see this little gem make it. No polymer appeared in the 500 Plastic Jewelry book. How did that happen?
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Jenn McGlon’s sculpted polymer clay Luettes have bits of vintage text added for extra charm. Her sweetly haunted houses are featured in Somerset’s Holidays & Celebrations current issue.
The little village is also part of this month’s SpookyTime Jingles offering. In keeping with spooky, new works are added on the 13th of each month.
SpookyTime is a sales site for like-minded holiday artists gearing up for the season. They say it’s “…where sweet and spooky comingle” and the site could keep you clicking through Halloween and Christmas sculptures for the rest of the day. I like getting an overview of what’s new on their Flickr pool.
Several readers have recommended the polymer Jiggly Wiggly Robots by Florida’s M. Held who is an illustrator as well. I’m tickled that she converts her robots into fabric at Spoonflower and creates illustrations for stock image sites. She also offers a clever tip for reducing fingerprints on polymer. (Christie Wright and others sent the link along.)
And as long as we’re talking clever technology, take a look at Betsy Baker’s online Lookbook. It’s a catalog of her latest work that she uploaded free through Issuu.com. Read how she did it here. Nice marketing!
To mark the end of her fifth decade and the beginning of her sixth, Washington’s Sue Ellen Katz resolved to create a polymer head each day for a year. She’s completed 197 and ends her year in October.
Explaining the exercise she says that, “Each new head will help my own to sit more squarely on top of my shoulders.”
On her 365TalkingHeads blog Sue Ellen adds pensive quotes and captions to each head and she gangs them for a “say cheese” group photo at the end of each month. Repeating an exercise 365 times is bound to bring changes. Don’t you wonder what she’s learned? (Thanks to Ronna Sarvas Weltman for the link.)
Second Haab book giveaway
You readers are anxious to help me lighten the load on my bookshelves. Our randomly picked winner is Connie Nall from Omaha, Nebraska. Congratulations!
Incidentally, I have a second copy of the same book with DVD. I was going to hang onto that one but decided you’d enjoy it more. Take the PCDaily reader survey and enter your email at the end. You’ll automatically be entered in next Friday’s giveaway!
Christine Damm’s article on wire and polymer in the summer issue of Belle Armoire Jewelry tempts me to try her loose, eclectic style. I’m on a tribal, primitive jag this week that you can see in her copper and faux jade cuff. The polymer pieces on her Stories They Tell site and Flickr page hint at tales from other times.
Her husband formed the cuff from repurposed copper flashing. The texture is from a Cool Tools plate. (Cool Tools carries mostly metal clay tools and many of them can be used on polymer as well.)
Faux ancient polymer work intrigues me and I was happy to see the Reproduction of Ancient Jewelry group that formed on Flickr. I won’t spoil the fun for you and will warn you that clicking through can take some time.
I might also suggest the book, Creating Your Own Antique Jewelry, if faux ancient appeals to you.
This locket by Eva Menager, administrator of the new group, is based on an old Van Cleef & Arpels watch.
This new page of bangles and necklaces from London’s Carol Blackburn shows lively and colorful designs that are finished to satiny perfection. The closeups of her mobius/color blended strips are inspiring.
Carol’s techniques are thoroughly explained in her Making Polymer Clay Beads book which has been translated into English, French, German and Italian. Her work serves as a gentle Monday reminder about the importance of finishing.
London street artist CityZenKane’s has added a new video to his arsenal. His ray gun video shows the making of his 3D street sculptures. CZK sculpts the basic form in polymer, casts it and then paints it or covers it with cane slices. He also works with polymer UV and neon effects on his street art.
These additional articles and photos (here, here and here) may give you a better perspective on CZK’s work. The link is from Italy’s Leila Bidler.
I’ve been so wrapped up in vacationing and spring that I’ve neglected some of the edgier, more interesting developments in our community. Here are some of the recent polymer-related books you may find of interest as well.
European Clay Art is a 100-page catalog of the work of 45 artists in 16 countries.
With four 2010 Niche Awards to polymer clay artists just announced, we continue our winning streak. Here’s the list of finalists and here are the winners including Jeff Dever (2), Melanie West and Sandra McCaw. The Niche site has been updated with some lovely larger photos. Thanks to Loretta Lam for alerting us to the announcement.
And as long as we’re tooting our horn. Did you see the polymer/metal clay work of Pat Bolgar on the cover of the most recent issue of Metal Clay Artist magazine? Her mixed media pin looks like spring.
The flurry of tests and silly pictures over the weekend was my attempt to get myself outfitted for the start of the conference on Wednesday. Can’t go the Synergy2 conference? Here’s the list of attendees. Join me and Libby Mills on the Crafthaus blog for your virtual version.
This polymer clay and pine needle basket by Victoria James is a lovely example of the mixed media pieces that will be on view in the exhibit at Synergy2. “Creating baskets pulls together my love for textiles, construction, and three-dimensional forms,” she says.
Following the exhibit theme, the artists sewed, sculpted, wove, and collaged polymer in unusual ways and combined it with unexpected materials. Preview and order the 80-page exhibit catalog online now.
Conference goers who order this week can save the shipping by preordering here and picking up their copies in Baltimore. I assembled the catalog for the IPCA (love that Blurb.com software) and I’m sure you’ll find it a great resource and a treasured memento.
