Why is it that when you can’t actually get your hands on polymer for one reason or another, watching someone else complete a project is especially engrossing?
We’re all on the sidelines shouting, “You go, girl” to the UK’s Bridget Derc and her complex mandala tabletop.
She took photos of every cane, every measurement, every step of the way and uploaded them to Flickr for you to enjoy vicariously.
Well-known California mosaic artist Susan Crocenzi says, “I am currently going through a major polymer clay bender. You wouldn’t believe how many tiles and doo-dads I’ve created over the past month!”
She sees polymer as an amazing material, especially for mosaic artists. “You can make tiles in the size, shape, and thickness you need! You can create super-flashy textured embellished colorific tiles, or quiet, flat, subtle ones. Seriously, this stuff’s flexibility will amaze you,” she gushes.
Here’s the info on her September 9 class in Portland, OR. Flip through her Instagram to see how she combines handmade polymer clay tiles with mosaic materials, most notably tempered glass.
If mixing media makes your heart sing, the flash and sparkle of mosaic might be just what your polymer muse yearns for.
Rebecca Watkins turns bright beads into cheery birds. They’re 2-inches long from beak to tail and she whitewashed the newest batch to give them more flutter.
Rebecca is an experimenter and you can easily spend more time than you intended reading about the methods she’s come up with for embossing and metallics and etching and more.
She shares all the details (lots of videos) of her late night adventures in polymer. Track her down on her blog and Facebook and Etsy.
A number of woven polymer beads have popped up online. Eliska Koliosova weaves extruded strips in this light summery choker. She alternates the colors under and over each other, perhaps creating a flat sheet that’s then cut up and rolled into a bead.
Or maybe Eliska is using the Mummy Bead technique that Emma Ralph outlines on her site. She starts by winding a base color on a wooden skewer and then layering on additional colors.
My brain doesn’t decode weaving very readily so rather than ponder this any longer, I’ll show you and hope that some enterprising PCD reader can unravel the mystery.
Whatever the method, the effect is eye-catching.
Thanks to Carrie Harvey for leading me to Emma’s tutorial.
Spain’s Cristina Garcia Alvarez (espiralarte) helps us remember to enjoy the last flowers of summer this weekend with her layered polymer bloom.
It’s a simple brooch made in watery blues that recur frequently in her work. Look at her Instagram and you’ll see samples of any number of techniques. The striking blues jump out as a recurring theme.
Look over your work and see what colors jump out or make your heart sing.
The file of tidbits for this weekend’s newsletter is bursting with juicy tips and stories we don’t have time for during the week. Join us on StudioMojo for the low down. I’m off to write!
Seattle’s Sarah Wilbanks distresses her translucent slices and turns thin concave polymer ovals into fashionable urban grunge earrings. They’re sold at the Seattle Art Museum in combination with the Yaoki Kusama exhibit which is full of color and repeated patterns.
Sarah’s workspace is surprisingly compact as she explains, “I create my polymer clay and silver jewelry in my cozy and colorful studio apartment in Seattle just a few blocks from the new Amazon campus. It’s amazing how little space you need to create jewelry. I have a jewelers bench in my hallway, a polymer work table in my kitchen and a soldering station in my hall closet.”
Translucent polymer lured Sarah back to polymer and she’s developed several variations of carved shapes that are both graphic and primitive in their appeal. You’ll find her work on Instagram, Etsy, and Facebook.
The spiky red petals on this polymer and silver Saxifraga become dramatic post earrings from France’s Celine Charuau (GrisBleu).
She continues her garden interpretation with a few more blossoms protruding from two flat white polymer disks that she joins as a pendant.
Celine includes Octotilla, Erythrina, Snow Flowers and other unusual species in this year’s garden of mixed media jewels on Flickr. How does your garden grow?
Lynn Yuhr (theFlyingSquirrelStudio) went off on a tangent and developed a new line of spontaneous jewelry.
“Tangents,” Lynn explains, “a completely different line of thought or action. When you least expect them, when you can’t afford the time for them, knowing you can’t control them, they happen anyway.”
This lovely gradient topped with succulent petals Lynn named Hazel. Read about how Lynn decided to nurture her tangents and follow wherever they led.
Do you allow yourself to go off on a tangent from time to time?
There’s nothing juicier than a step-by-step from Loretta Lam to kick off the week. First, the sketchbook magic pulls us in. Then the jumble of companion canes brings color into the equation.
“I spend a lot of time on the palette. I know the feelings that I want to convey and it has to be just right. In this case – fresh, vibrant and youthful but still sophisticated,” says Loretta.
The naked bead forms seem dark before she brightens them with slices of patterns.
If you go to her Facebook page, you’ll find a slideshow in which she arranges and completes the necklace plus lots more pictures to encourage you to trot off to your workspace.
Loretta will be teaching her Designing with Distinction methods in Durfort, France in October and in Monza, Italy in September.
Texas’ Randee Ketzel shows off her submission for the Breast Cancer Resource Center’s annual gala.
Randee made the flowers for Cancer, Don’t Bug Me in Carol Simmon’s class and added her own sculpted iridescent bugs. The creation will be modeled by Randee’s friend and cancer survivor Darla Breazle.
While it’s not exactly beachwear, a project like this gives you an opportunity to stretch your imagination for a good cause.
Join us as we cover more polymer finds and finery that will inspire you in this weekend’s edition of StudioMojo.
