Buddha nature polymer

Everybody’s back at the gym as Joseph Barbaccia reminds us with his Exercising Your Buddha Nature illustration in polymer. Lately his illustrations have all been created by using thin strands of polymer as strokes of color.

Joseph must be in touch with his own Buddha nature to compose such meticulous polymer works.

He took a less appealing view of the body in his 2010 Integration series of works. His Obesity fuses the belly (the hair is his own) with a kitchen grater.

Joseph lives in Virginia and has worked for 35 years in graphic design and as an art director.

Polymer confetti

There’s a bit of leftover New Year’s celebration in these flashy polymer pieces from Connecticut’s Kristie Foss. Glitter flakes and micro marbles are suspended in resin layered over Skinner blends. She captures the party confetti in mid-air.

In another recent post, Kristie shows off her imitation opal which she achieves with a slurry of iridescent flakes, alcohol inks and translucent liquid polymer over metal leaf on polymer.

Prowl through Kristie’s site to give your Monday a boost of inspiration. The link came to PCD from Katie Oskin.

Stacking snowflakes

The holidays are mostly over but let’s take one last look before all the ornaments are put away. Slovenia’s Klavdija Kurent starts with snowflake cutters in stepped down sizes (I’m guessing here).

She colors the polymer cutouts and then adds textures and stacks them, adding more color and metallics for emphasis. There’s more of her distinctive style on her blog and her Facebook site.

You can see that Klavdija has some tricks up her sleeve and she’ll be sharing them in her Let’s Twist Again workshop at Eurosynergy in Malta. Contact her by email to register.

Mixed media is back

Tanya Mayorova’s mixed media combo will appeal to anyone who has been wondering what to do with a stash of unused beads. She wraps a mix of beads threaded on wire around polymer big-hole beads which have been stamped and given a metallic sheen. The effect is primitive, ethnic and very fashionable.

Tanya is from Russia and now lives in Spain. You’ll find lots more of her rich mixes of color and texture and media on Flickr.

Whew! PCD is back!

Starting the year with a clean slate, a new server and a promise to back up regularly. After a couple of harrowing days of outage, we’re ready to face 2014.

Colorful beginning

Beginning today and for the next 10 days, Carolyn Good (2 Good Claymates) will start off the new year by sharing her polymer recipes for the 2014 Pantone Spring 2014 colors.

Carolyn admits that at first she wasn’t thrilled with the colors. Then she remembered that computer screens often aren’t accurate. ” When I compared the color numbers with my Pantone color charts and began to mix up these new shades, I started to feel more inspired,” she says.

Here’s the introduction video from Pantone to show you what’s trending. Check Carolyn and Dave’s site each day and pull out your copy of Polymer Clay Color Inspirations and splash color all over 2014.

2013 top ten

These photos from 2013’s most popular posts prove that PCD readers can’t resist a clever polymer trick. Each of the top 10 posts offered a shortcut or a tutorial that revealed ways to make polymer do more than you thought possible. Knit it, batik it, glaze it to make it look like ceramic or fabric or metal and more.

Whether they developed their methods by happy accident or through careful research, what polymer artists share on PCD represents years of dedication and a willingness to share. Thanks to these top 10 and to all of you who have generously contributed your works to the blog. Have fun reviewing these favorites:

Ahead in 2014

This imitative ceramic vase from Ariane Freisleben was among the 33 examples of student work on Iris Mishly’s site. You’ll see an impressive collection of ways that polymer artists have found to use the Cosmic Ceramic lessons for widely varying effects and styles.

But Ariane isn’t a casual polymer student. She is so enthusiastic about the future of polymer in Europe that she is constructing Galerie Freisleben, a beautiful class facility in the Bavarian countryside.

Ariane’s Flickr site shows more of her work as well as pictures of the renovations underway as she prepares the property to house 14 overnight guests and 18 class participants. A gallery and store are also in the plans. The opening festivities are scheduled for August with Canada’s Claire Maunsell teaching the inaugural class.

If you’re wondering what’s ahead for polymer in 2014, take a look at the buzz about the new Galerie Freisleben on Facebook.

Start your year with a bang by entering your work in the international awards program. The deadline for online entries is January 20. And don’t forget to register early for EuroSynergy in Malta April 30 to May 3.

Glazed polymer flock

Israel’s Hila Bushari has helped a flock of birds take wing from her studio. You can watch as she cuts out the flat chicks that she makes into wall decor.

What brings them to life are the details and the faux ceramic glazes and finishes that she adds.

Mottled colors and textured surfaces give these otherwise simple creatures mystery and depth. Hila and Iris Mishly have developed a Cosmic Ceramictutorial series about their glazing techniques. See more of Hila’s glazing samples on her Flickr site.

Folk polymer

Jannelle Berryman‘s Santa has already changed into civilian clothes and I hope you have too.

Jannelle has moved onto steampunk robots, monsters and polymer characters with a valentines flavor that you can sample in her Etsy shop where her originals are sold.

Since 1997 Jannelle has licensed reproductions of her works which are sold in giftshops. She started with a graphic art company, moved on to painting ceramic pots, and landed in sculpture and giftware. Though she dabbles in jewelry her main focus is her Pumpkinseeds Originals creations. She’s part of the Spooky Time Jingles crowd of folk art lovers as well.

Merry polymer

https://pictures.lytro.com/ctinapple/pictures/758086

Christmas picture

Every year Susan Hyde’s Madonna reappears as one of my favorite Christmas decorations. Her colors make my heart sing. Susan’s art came in handy as I tried out a new camera that allows the viewer to change the focus by clicking on any element in the photo.

This appeals to the geek in me even though I’m not sure how the technology will be helpful to you. Close ups of jewelry? Peeks at work surfaces? Please click around and I’ll keep practicing.

These three recent angel tiles show how Susan’s work has shifted this year. Here’s a snapshot of angels and madonnas at Creative Journey Studios. I hope you’re playing with your new toys today.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all .

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