Illinois’ Linda Webb (creeksidestudio) tells her story in mosaic code, this one a heartfelt condolence to Manchester, UK families.
Linda keeps her work surface covered with sheets of veneers that she crafts into images. This Instagram photo of her workspace explains it all.
Mosaics offer another use for the polymer, paint and ink veneers that have been growing in popularity.
Loretta Lam keeps me coasting on photos taken at last week’s conference. These lightweight sculpted leaves are not-quite-finished samples for an upcoming European class.
Even unsanded the shapes were silky smooth. Loretta lays thin fabric-like veneers over FIMOairlight bases.
Thank you for your comments on yesterday’s post that taught me another meaning of the word goolies. While the creatures in the Christi Friesen post are cute, some goolies are certainly better kept not so free!
Christie Friesen is possessed by Goolies, small polymer sculptures that fly from her fingers.
In Virginia an admiring crowd gathered around the oven, waiting to adopt the figments of Christi’s imagination. She really can’t say where or how the Goolies originate or what they mean. You can see on her Facebook page that she’s made legions of them. And they keep coming.
What do the gremlins, grouches and goofballs that live in your imagination look like? Have you ever tried to capture them in polymer?
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
Enjoy a browse through Jeffrey Lloyd Dever’s site. It’s filled with what look like May flowers.
Newer works, including his 2017 Niche Award winner, are on Facebook.
I’m mostly speechless today.
