Lisa Renner’s 10″ tall Jar Head makes a handy desk item that comes with its own feathered pen. Lisa sculpted this whimsical face over a glass jar and added details with inks and paints. The feather-topped pen becomes a stunning hairstyle and it’s not likely someone would abscond with that. The container could be used to hold paintbrushes or other […] Read more
This 12″ mixed media plaque Omni Die Est Donum (Every day is a gift) from Laurie Mika looks right for Easter. Laurie is home from Portland’s Art and Soul where students quickly caught on to her rich mosaic, mixed media, baked-in antiquities. She talks about her experiences on her most recent blog post. See how Laurie […] Read more
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 […] Read more
“If as a child you loved coloring in a coloring book like I did, then this is the class for you.” says Laurie Mika about her Coloring on Clay workshop this September. These class sample tiles show how acrylic paint on clay expands the range and intensity of Laurie’s colors. She starts with light polymer clay […] Read more
Watching how Laurie Mika applies stencils to polymer is mesmerizing. Even if your style is miles away from Laurie’s layered, collaged, jewel-encrusted shrines, you may find yourself considering how it would be to lavish color and pattern with such abandon. Or maybe just add pattern in a new way. Truth is, stencils are a departure […] Read more
Laurie Mika provides us with a heraldic banner to start our festive Thanksgiving week. Historically, people displayed their coat of arms and other designs to identify and celebrate the family. This banner is a promo for her classes at the Tucson Art Retreat In the Desert (scroll down to her February 5 class). Usually Laurie […] Read more
In a rich and rambling post Laurie Mika fills us in on her rich and rambling art adventures. She’s been both a teacher and a student over the summer. And she’s been getting ready for fall shaows and a workshop in Mexico. On her blog she shows how she used bright scrap clay as the […] Read more
Georg Dinkel’s I-reliquaries and shrines captured the hearts of the EuroSynergy audience in Malta. A long time photographer, Georg’s first shrine housed his daughter’s ipod. The shrines grew bigger and more complex. His latest elaborate creations won best of show honors in the IPCA Awards challenge. Georg grew up surrounded by both religion and architecture in […] Read more
Laurie Mika embeds whatever she likes into her lusciously colored polymer mosaics. If you look closely your eyes will dance over bits of glass, jewelry, beads and ephemera that come together to tell her story. Of course many of the tiles are stamped, textured and painted polymer as well. This is a sample for her […] Read more
These scrap bangles from Australia’s Debbie Crothers have a party vibe! Don’t you love those gold leafed and Jones-Toned dots that she tossed on to fill in the gaps? Debbie took her not- quite-right pile and turned it into something great that suits my mood as I celebrate post 2000 today. We’ve gotten bolder and […] Read more
