Brazilian bling in polymer

After finding the polymer work of Tinisa Teixeira and her studio, Duo Atelie, (thanks to a tip from Sarah Wilbanks) we’re going to have to take a closer look the polymer art coming from Brazil. You can feel a very different polymer aesthetic.

Tinisa’s designs are fresh and unconstrained. The metallics of the PVclay made in Rio glow with a unusual shimmer. The manufacturer claims that the material is 100% recyclable!

See the polymer clothing of Luciana Inojosa on Instagram and the surreal video of a polymer doll coming to life by Leevi Lehtinen.

Aren’t you glad we have the weekend to dive into Brazil and these exciting fashions? There’s more of Tinisa’s work to explore on Facebook.

Wrapped in quilts

A picture of a worn old quilt caught my eye. The stripes reminded me of men’s pajamas -washed and faded ones. They showed up in this polymer veneer for a maple bowl turned by my husband.

Taking a hint from Emily Squires Levine, I’m starting to make a habit of using my scraps at the end of the day. Of course the carefree scrap vessels often turn out to be my favorites.

You can see a few in-process photos on my Instagram page.

Dreamy polymer

Dreamy isn’t a word used often when describing polymer but Sonya Girodon’s pieces evoke that. This pendant is floating, misty with moody colors intersected by vibrating lines.

Sonya’s been so prolific lately that it’s hard to choose something to feature. Just when you think you’ve got her style pegged, she turns a corner and creates a new look.

Her Pinterest tagline gives us a clue. “Eternal dreamer! Dreaming of the perfect world. Dreaming of creating touchable dreams in polymer clay,” it says.

She’s been mysterious and organic and edgy. Now she’s back to graphic. She’s mixing her media, adding tribal sculpted polymer heads onto a dramatically painted canvas. Where will she head next? Monitor her progress on Facebook.

Making five easy pieces

Page McNall added a free 2-page photo tutorial on Flickr for her segmented polymer bead necklaces last month. Now that the holiday hubbub is over, let’s give her instructions a whirl. She shows how on page 1 and page 2.

She blends color gradients into short thick plugs which she threads onto on a knitting needle. She nurses and shapes the plug, removes it from the needle and cuts it into five segments. She gently refines the shape of the cut pieces and places them back on the needle to bake.

After they’re baked Page distresses the beads and adds color accents with shoe polish. Mounted onto short lengths of wire, the segmented beads are then arranged into necklaces. Her pictures make it all quite clear. Follow Page on Facebook and see her influences on Pinterest. (PCD follower Patrice Pfeiffer thought you’d want to see this and I agreed.)

A polymer mashup

Syndee Holt calls last week’s free tutorial on the Sculpey site the Meisha Squish but doesn’t the Meisha Mash sound better?

Syndee and Meisha Barbee devised this method as they sat at the same worktable cleaning up their scrap. It’s sloppy, fast mokume gane with the best colors (Syndee even provides the recipes) and easy steps.

What a way to ease us into the week! See Meisha’s polymer on her Pinterest site and Facebook. Here’s more from Syndee on her blog, Instagram and Facebook.

Creative magnetism

A necklace laid flat, with its cording positioned in elegant, artful curves was Helen Breil’s inspiration for this magnetic lariat. “Could you maintain that elegant composition as you wore the piece?” she wondered.

Thin magnets positioned behind the two metal-backed components help the wearer vary the positions and come up with many ways to artfully arrange the lariat. The cording stays draped in place as an important design element.

“It’s like I’ve extended the creativity process not just to the making of a piece, but also to the wearing of it,” she says. Helen shares more about her designs (and new silkscreens) on Facebook, her site and Pinterest. She will teach a wrap bracelet how-to class on Craftcast on January 20.

Brave Souls

Two of polymer’s shyest and most intriguing artists are joining forces as they jump into the mixed media crowd at the Portland Art and Soul retreat March 1.

Sign up for the Garden of Earthly Delights class with Wendy Malinow and Leslie Blackford here. Laurie Mika paved the way into the Art and Soul retreats. Laurie’s classes start here.

Off-balance polymer

Kansas’ Carol Beal (BeadUnsupervised) must have quite a stash of favorite beads that she dips into, mixing and matching until she gets her eclectic, slightly unbalanced look. Rummaging through her Pinterest boards lets you in on how her brain works and it’s a hoot.

Carol was an illustrator and greeting card designer for Hallmark before she jumped into the jewelry business. Her happy mix of materials and designs that please her is what most of us aspire to. It looks like she’s having fun. Catch more in her Etsy shop.

Polymer kindred spirits

North Carolina’s Michelle Davis Petelinz (KindredSpiritStudios) hangs six large mixed-media pieces across a display wall to make a bold statement. Polymer elements add punch, texture and dimension to the shallow painted plates.

Michelle often work in a series, visually exploring the significance of symbols from many cultures. The visual elements strike the viewer as both unusual and familiar, speaking across cultures. Her fusion of art, culture and media can be appreciated in many settings.

See more of her mixed-media series on her site, her blog, Pinterest and Facebook.

Perfumed polymer

These New Year’s rainbow confetti earrings from St. Petersburg’s Maxim Mantuli (Luxori) have a secret compartment. Maxim drills a shallow hole in the back of the swirled bicone bead where a few drops of perfume can be added. The design is meant to help those who can’t tolerate perfume on their skin.

It’s an intriguing concept though the longterm effect of alcohol on the polymer might be a concern.

Follow Maxim’s developments with this jewelry line on Facebook, Etsy, his site and Instagram,

Monsters of hope

The monsters of 2016 have raised their ugly heads already. But these monsters from Quebec’s Hermine Robi are full of hope.

For years, Hermine has set aside her scraps and cane ends to cover the small glass vials given to cancer patients who place their wishes and dreams inside these inspiring Bottles of Hope

Hermine has covered the empty bottles for so many years that she settles on an annual theme to focus her designs. Her monsters seem both ferocious and silly, perfect for helping patients look forward with a smile.

Using polymer for good like Bottles of Hope and Beads of Courage (check out their Instagram pix) often has the side benefit of unleashing creativity you may not have tapped into before. The bottles and beads that our local guild collected were infused with energy and caring. Do you have a plan for your scrap this year?

Stay away from Hermine’s Pinterest page unless you’ve got a chunk of time! I got lost in her color board.

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