UK’s Belinda Ashton appeals to the toddler in us with this necklace of multi-colored circles.
The tag should probably include a warning about not chewing on the luscious links. The big links are certainly something a wearer would twirl and play with.
What surprised me was how Belinda created this. My brain went directly to extruded clay. But I was wrong. Its construction was super simple.
In these complicated times, innocent, straightforward, cheery designs are important.
John and Corliss Rose are grateful to be creating in their quarantine corral, otherwise called their California studio.
This Mojave Bouquet was a product of an “In Progress” box of odds and sods that they’re giving new life.
The brooch is 3″ x 2.25″ with a fabricated sterling silver back and mechanism which you can see in these front and back photos.
Do you have odds and sods waiting to be turned into something remarkable? What better time than now to use what you have?
Maine’s Melanie West posts daily on Facebook about an astonishing array of artists that she’s discovered.
She rarely reveals what she’s working on. But in a July feature, she shows a new series brooches that she calls Fabric Rocks. Polymer is involved but she’s done a sleight of hand so that it’s difficult to tell what’s fabric, what’s textured polymer, and how the pattern is created.
She’s probably proudly smirking at having stumped us with her new tricks on a Monday. What’s your guess?
What would Poland’s Anna Nell make with the Skinner blends she showed on Instagram? A few days later she gives us the answer.
She says she uses translucent clay, porcelain (I’m guessing she means pearl), and glow in the dark (she calls it “night effect”). She added pastels as well and some gold leaf for bling
Anna surrounds herself with a large collection of succulent inspirations so it’s difficult to distinguish real from polymer.
New York’s Donna Greenberg creates Hydra, a 3-spout vessel built over glass bottle forms.
Donna bonded the wine bottles together with Apoxie clay and covered them with Ultralight which she sculpted and painted. Watching the process on Facebook is fascinating.
Could you envision a prickly, sculptural multi-headed water monster emerging from your recycle bin?
This simple “Commits” necklace from UK’s Caroline Casswell exudes summer fun and playfulness.
Caroline admits that her inspiration comes from the famous Kapitza Studio. Their sharp geometrics influence modern design and give us wake-up colors for a Monday.
No clasps, just bright beads spaced out on a buna cord. Simple becomes sophisticated.
You probably have some questions about how France’s Cécile Bos (11prunes) creates these delicate canes.
How big are the original canes (these seem impossibly small), what’s her inspiration?
Cecile intends to mix up these canes. The white background surrounding each of them ensures that she can combine the elements into a larger botanical image.
Here’s a previous similar cane to give you an idea where she’s headed. Cecile brings a fabric designer’s sensibility to polymer. We are used to kaleidoscoping and repeating designs. These are complex canes from a different perspective.
Marni Southam from Australia’s Oleander Avenue hosted the FriClay challenge last week. The topic was Shibori and these are the canes she came up with to illustrate the concept. They’re a fresh, Aussie, updated Shibori.
My eye keeps getting snagged by canes. I tidied my laundry room/pandemic studio. I feel a tug on my sleeve from my inner little girl artist plaintively saying, “It’s only two colors. We could try this.” She really wants to play. It’s time to let her/us have some fun.
Do you have a younger-you asking for some playtime?
Florida’s Lynn Yuhr (the FlyingSquirrelStudio) explores liquid polymers. “What if?” is her guiding principle.
In this case, Lynn dotted, painted and stamped liquid polymer over thin translucent. She wanted the metal grid behind the veneer to show through so she used a light touch and kept the patterns sparse with plenty of translucent showing.
The piece at right is the start of the veneer.
You may have seen this 2019 video before, it’s Lynn in her early liquid polymer exploration. She’s on day 63 of her 100-day 2020 excursion
Down on your knees outdoors in your favorite jeans, you’re brought up close to the beauty of the weeds in the garden by this necklace that’s a collage of textures and shapes by Moscow’s Marina Merkulova.
Marina is part of one of those “no explanations”, “no words” challenges that asks artists to simply share their work on Facebook.
These soft rectangles and dark textures stack up in a way that’s relaxed and comforting. That’s plenty good for a summer Tuesday.
Lovely to experience the soothing effects of a few weeds pressed into clay.
