Prague’s Pavla Cepelikova gathered samples of her polymer mosaic lentil beads into one long strand of color and pattern. She sells a tutorial that shows simple step-by-step instructions.
This technique was first taught by Amelia Helm in the 90’s. I took Amelia’s class back then and am happy to have updated lessons based on today’s polymer formulations, inks and materials. Pavla’s been refining her methods for quite some time (PCD featured her early mosaics a year ago). Follow along with her work on Facebook and on Flickr as well.
Karina Formanova from Russia made this polymer Crank character for her friend based on the friend’s avatar. (This may be a cultural icon. If so, please educate me.)
The hair is in charming dissaray, the eyes are bugged, and the look is so totally cold winter Monday that I couldn’t resist. And wow, Karina has some gems buried in Flickr and on her shop page – something new to shake up your Monday.
Jeff Dever’s mixed media Violet Midnight necklace made of silk flower petals, wire, polymer and a ping pong ball will be part of the 19th annual Craft Forms show at the Wayne Art Center in Wayne, Pennsylvania for the coming month.
Jeff’s necklace was part of a series of jewelry he made from found materials as he developed his Immaterial lecture series. Flip through the Craft Forms catalog online to find the polymer and silver work of Carolyn Tillie in the show as well.
Last month Jeff’s works were on view at the SOFA Chicago show at the Hedone Gallery where he is represented. Here’s Jeff on the first night of the show surrounded by his graceful sculptures that look like they’ve just landed at the event. More pix on Jeff’s Facebook page. Note how well Jeff wears his own work at shows!
Open hearts!
We are closing in fast on the Raise the Roof goal, hoping that our weekend readers will take us over the top. With funds coming from supporters around the globe, tabulating the amounts gets complicated and we’ll have a firm number soon.
Our hearts are bursting with gratitude. This heart’s from Ron Lehocky who will add cow-shopping his list of holiday activities!
Thanks to all who clicked on links until you found ones that worked. We appreciate your persistence and encourage you to keep on clicking to send the tally through the roof!
Spain’s Sona Grigoryan created her own Rolex, or as she has named it, a Sonex, out of watch parts and polymer. Her drawings and paper prototypes show us how she worked out the design. In her words it’s an organic/mechanic combination.
Sona’s influences are wide-ranging – from Gaudi to Leonardo. Her designs are fearless and always tinged with the flavor of her Armenian home.
Tired of designs in the safe zone? Sonia’s one of the artists to check to find out what’s happening on the edge. Here she is on Facebook.
This 3-inch round santa is built over glass and painted with oils in multiple coats by Doreen Kassel. Her 2013 ornaments were awarded a 2013 Niche Award. A former illustrator, Doreen loves to tell stories with polymer characters.
If you were skeptical about Santa being real and the story being true, look no further. We wished and hoped for the funds for the Raise the Roof project and you Santas delivered.
We’re nearly three quarters of the way to the goal in only a few days. The Santas have come disguised as polymer artists, as the international guild and as friends of friends who’ve never heard of polymer clay. Lots of you bought tools on Cyber Monday which gave us a big boost thanks to Lee Ann Armstrong.
Here are three artists who can help reacquaint you with your inner polymer child. Look at the playful way Austria’s Eva Marion Schulz experiments and dabbles with clay.
If you scroll through her Facebook photos you’ll see that she paints with polymer, sculpts with it and even gives it wings and feathers.
In the vase at the left she takes leftover canes, flattens them, backs them with scrap and cuts out ovals. Starting at the bottom of a glass vase, she adheres the ovals using her hand inside for support.
Want to play more? Two free tutorials popped up that are so simple and quick that you won’t be able to resist them.
Watch Iris Mishly’s video about how to make a holiday whirligig from a stack of narrow strips of polymer. Hang it and watch it spin gracefully.
Heather Powers shows you how to make merry little owls with just a pinch and some paint. You’ll feel like a kid again.
Raising a ruckus
Raising the Roof has raised a ruckus thanks to you. Your generosity is amazing. Remember that a donation here makes a great gift that you can print (here’s the donation card) and slip into an envelope to present with a slight bow and a quiet, “Namaste.” (The light in me honors the light in you.)
PCD has followed Jennifer Morris’ meticulous polymer work from New York to Portland. Her distinctive romantic and bohemian designs are precisely appliqued onto base beads and often embellished with rich beadwork.
Recently Jennifer’s work has taken a geometric turn and she’s being influenced by fabrics – quilts, weaving and needlework. The earrings at the left were inspired by aztec embroidery, the ones on the right by a kilim rug.
Her Etsy interview gives you a glimpse of her studio, her methods and her life in Portlandia.
Cyber Monday helps raise the roof
Lee Ann Armstrong likes simple solutions. Her search for a well-designed cane slicing device led her to come up with the popular Simple Slicer. Her response to the Raise the Roof project is equally straightforward.
On Monday, December 2, buy a tool from Lee Ann Armstrong and she’ll donate the entire amount to Raise the Roof. Your purchase of any tool from Lee Ann’s Etsy site will help put a roof over the head of a woman in distress. No paperwork, no governmental hoops, it’s another simple solution. Indulge your love of tools guilt-free.
Thanks to Friday’s “first responders” we are well on our way. Lee Ann’s generous gesture keeps the project’s momentum going. Read more Raise the Roof personal stories on their blog and donate directly here.
This year you raised enough money to build a permanent home for the Samunnat women’s project in Nepal. This music video by Australia’s Cathy Bucolo tells the story beautifully. The pictures of the construction and the stories of the women in this thriving program will astonish you.
Dr. Ron Lehocky has been a force behind the project (along with Australia’s Wendy Moore and Nepal’s Kopila Basnet).
When Ron saw pictures of the iron rebar jutting out of the roof for a second floor some day and asked about the stairs that lead to an upstairs eventually – well he couldn’t stand it. “The builder is there, the materials are available, the women need the space. You can do it now,” he said firmly and wisely.
If 500 people give $20, Samunnat can complete the second floor and fence the grounds for livestock and gardening. Ron seeded the project with $2000 (and a cow) and already polymer artists have begun contributing. Help now!
Every contribution counts and you can follow along online to see what a difference you’ve made. Need a holiday gift? A donation in the name of a friend or family member makes a thoughtful gift. Here’s a gift/donation card that you can print and send. You can also help by putting this ad on your blog or talking about Raise the Roof on social media. Let’s do it this month!
Simple Slicer Cyber Monday
If you’ve been eyeing one of Lee Ann Armstrong’s popular Simple Slicers, Monday is the day to jump on it. Lee Ann is donating all her Monday sales (not just a slice but the whole shebang) to Samunnat. You’ll be getting a super slicer and making a mighty donation at the same time!
Here in America, shopping gets frantic for the next few days. Monday is the big day for online holiday sales. Our buying frenzy is a little embarrassing but Lee Ann helps you slice better, shop smart and feel good this Cyber Monday.
Colorado’s Amy Giacomelli painted murals and backdrops for film and television for years. She started her Etsy shop in 2008 and her 1 1/2″ polymer pumpkins say it all.
Snowflakes bring reminders of the awesome geometry of nature. Remember cutting and unfolding paper snowflakes that taught you the secrets of repeating patterns? Some of us still thrill to that lesson in polymer.
San Francisco’s YarnNClay (Lina Bailey and Yana Mostitsky) offer these gracefully shaped drop earrings decorated with a snowflake cane reduced to tiny dimensions. The two artists met on the internet and now mix their media fashionably in an Etsy shop.
This year I vow to make some of Jan Montarsi’s glittery snowflake ornaments. Look closely and you’ll begin to see how he used small cutters, combining them into a geometry of his own for ornaments. His delightful tutorial shares some of the finer points.
Bringing back childhood pleasures is a sure way to stay in touch with the truer meaning of the season.
