Polymer Clay Daily

Grow the forest

Help grow the forest on the exhibit's new website

Laura Tabakman, Emily Squires Levine and Julie Eakes, the creative forces behind the global collaborative Into the Forest exhibit created this series of 4″ caned flower brooches as part of a fundraising effort.

Sales of these and a smaller bar brooch series will help cover the costs of the exhibit and associated opening festivities in Pittsburgh at the Spinning Plate Gallery November 10-11. The show runs through the end of November. A teaser mini-installation will be unveiled at Synergy4 in August.

The curators have accumulated thousands of elements from 250 artists in 32 states and 22 countries that will be put together as a forest installation. While they are applying for grants and corporate sponsorships, you can also show your support and help grow the forest by picking a brooch from the exhibit’s new website/shop, intotheforestinstallation.com.

This Saturday’s StudioMojo will be filled with more super tips and tidbits from the Virginia conference. There’s still time to sign up and hear all the backstory. 

Hacking polymer

Benzon's shaved organics on PolymerClayDaily.com

If there’s a theme to the Virginia conference, it’s Hacking Polymer. In every corner of the workroom someone is slicing, gouging, carving raw polymer in new, more aggressive ways with tools borrowed from woodcarvers and manicurists.

Jana Roberts Benzon credits ceramicist Zemer Peled with inspiring her to try a small similar organic piece. This 3″ X 2″ experiment combines some of Jana’s Encrusted techniques with new shaved and carved threads of polymer.

Libby Mills rippled-bladed through clay in ways that turned a single block into a whole catalog of patterns. Stacy Shaffer zipped through the surface of her stripes to uncover fabric-like patterns perfect for trendy earrings. More on the new mayhem in this weekend’s StudioMojo.

If you’re ready for some hacking of your own, consider Claycino in Las Vegas beginning June 2 and sponsored by FIMO manufacturer, Staedtler. All course materials are supplied along with daily lunch and snacks, party fare and closing Bavarian banquet. Only few spots left in this exciting new event!

A tale of tags

Loew's tag necklace on PolymerClayDaily.com

This tag necklace from Baltimore’s Linda Loew is full of surprises. The dark gold polymer links are stamped, painted and textured in a dark and rough urban grunge style accented with red.

The pieces are thinner than you’d expect and slightly curved during curing. Each is individually shaped.

Linda heads for the fishing department for her findings that make the links twirl on connectors meant for lures. Here’s a second more colorful version.

The necklaces feel like they’re filled with stories…but Linda’s story is hard to find online. You can see a few more of her works on Pinterest.

 

Alphabet soup

Wujick's alphabet bowl on PolymerClayDaily.com

Virginia’s Tina Wujick cuts thick letters from polymer blends and connects them over a glass form. Sometimes she strengthens the joins with some Genesis thick medium (or other polymer glue).

There’s no rhyme or reason, you can’t read any message here but it’s a great teacher’s gift or just fun to enjoy. This photo of ingredients fills in the blanks.

Tina’s project should keep you busy while I play in Virginia. Look for fun photos all week.

Taking it easy

Kassel's limp and lovely leaves on PolymerClayDaily.com

Sure, you may have been impressed by the cheeky, funny characters that Doreen Gay Kassel has been creating for her Synergy4 presentation with Donna Greenberg (Translating Your Environment into Your Inspiration). Doreen’s characters are funny and engaging and quite complex.

Then she wows us with casual, offhand leaves that look as if they floated to the ground, ready to be raked. Their torn edges and folds show off lovely layers of colors with dots hidden in the recesses.

If you’ve worked with polymer for long you know what a trick it is to make our medium look easy, unforced and really organic. How does she do that? Will she and Donna reveal all at Synergy? You may enjoy some of her inspirations on Pinterest.

Pocket art hearts

Tejae Floyde creates a heart-inside-heart on PolymerClayDaily.com

A Facebook video from Colorado’s Tejae Floyde shows you more of her Encased Hearts. Tejae loves pocket art – tokens and secrets and hidden wishes. The smaller heart fits perfectly inside the larger one and they are covered with wise words, rich textures and glints of metals.

She’s been busy creating this stamped and painted Mother’s Day version, sometimes adding childrens names on the back.

Read more about Tejae on her site, Facebook and Etsy. You’ll find Tejae’s step-by-step instructions for a basic encased heart in my book.

Jumping through hoops with polymer

Wolodkiewicz' polymer embroidery mixes hard with soft on PolymerClayDaily

The last time PCDaily posted about the work of Poland’s Justyna Wolodkiewicz she was making jumping jacks and clocks.

She’s moved on to 3D mixed media pieces that blend embroidery hoops with polymer. It’s hard to picture, right?

Look on Instagram, her blog and Facebook to get the idea. Read what ArtUpon has to say about her.

Three of Justyna’s pieces appeared in the Feminist Fiber Art exhibit in Seattle. How cool is it that this 20-something represents our community on the feministfiberart.com scene?

Watch her how-to video on Facebook as Justyna explains, “First I sculpted colorful rings, circles and spikes out of polymer clay and baked them. Then I started stitching. The mixture of textures is rich and eye-catching. Thread makes polymer look softer. Polymer contrasts with the fluffy look of fabric and thread.”

What happens when you mix polymer with another medium?

Collages to wear

Doroshow's fabric/jewelry wall art on PolymerClayDaily.com

Florida’s Dayle Doroshow will exhibit six mixed-media wall hangings in a popular restaurant (Le Tournesol) near her summer home in Durfort, France.

Each collaged fabric panel is 5′ x 2 1/2′ and is embellished with polymer. Each contains a brooch that can be removed to wear.

Doroshow's fabric collages with polymer on PolymerClayDaily.com

I can almost hear the sighs of students who have experienced the charms of a week of classes at La Cascade. Karen and Ann Mitchell, Dayle, Doreen Kassel and Loretta Lam will all have polymer workshops there this summer.

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Staying flexible

Tucson’s Meg Newberg (polymerclayworkshop) loves devising low tech/high results canes. Her followers find Meg’s instructions easy to follow as she builds precise patterns from simple rolls, blends and stacks. Following her steps is simple, very rewarding and great for building your skills.

The inmates in the ORW class are Meg’s biggest fans because no special tools or exotic ingredients are required to produce stunning results.

Her videos have a large and growing following on Facebook. She sells her tutorials and canes on Etsy as well as by subscription.

Here Meg shows a polymer hex-a-flex. Maybe in high school you sent secret notes to friends using a similar paper trick.

If you’re interested in more secret notes, join the StudioMojo group that looks behind the scenes on Saturday mornings.