More faux batik beads from Pavla Cepelikova in Prague. These are hollow big beauties that will have you wondering which layer came first.
If you simply must know the answer, you may have to navigate to her Etsy site where she sells the tutorial for her solution to the problem.
Those vacation kisses from my grandson proved problemmatic and I’m recovering from his cold. All in all, the cold is worth it.
Washington’s Tonja Lenderman loves to experiment. With this polymer pendant she’s introduced Judy Belcher’s knitting techniques to Helen Breil’s twisted shapes.
From the angles of the knit strips to the forming of the shape, this design will challenge the math-side of your brain and get you primed for the week.
The best overview of Tonja’s work is on her Facebook page. You’ll also like her free crackled pottery tutorial on Polka Dot Creations.
If you’ve sent me a link or a note, hang on! I’m easing myself back into work mode and plowing through a pile of email. Many thanks to all who sent their site links.
Nikki Blanchard and a number of other polymer artists started their new year right by sending me links to their sites. Why be shy and hide your work? You’ll be surprised at how much more confident you’ll feel just by throwing your electronic hat in the ring.
New links are like belated holiday presents for me. You’ll be making my research easier. It’s a win-win.
Nikki gave up her glass studio after 18 years and found a home in polymer so she’ll bring lots of relevant skills to her new medium. I like the placement of the findings in these earrings. Her photos show that she’s off to an promising start. Have a great weekend!
Dorothy Siemens has veered in a new direction with her latest polymer sculptures like this 4-inch by 6-inch Tri-pod and her Scorpion which are much looser and less structured than previous works. Her precise knitting and beadwork make these sculptures a surprise. Polymer invites her to play.
Posting from my iPad is a challenge so I’ll just have you go explore Dorothy’s lovely work for yourself. You’ll see what I mean.
You can sense both the relief and the pride in the end-of-year posts from polymer artists who persisted through one of the 52-week challenges. These Rocky Path earrings are from JuLee Wolfe who chronicles her challenge on Pinterest. Here’s more of her work on Flickr.
Hats off to those who completed the difficult task of producing and uploading new artwork each week in 2012. You can see how their skills got better and how concepts were refined and rethought as the work progressed. They are an inspiration to the rest of us as we launch into a new year with high hopes of improving our art.
Here’s the earring group’s page. A new Brooch-A-Day group is forming here. Let me know if you know of other challenges starting up.
I’m out of town and out of time so I’ll lean on Ford and Forlano to bring you some Monday cheer with their Squiggle necklace from this season’s Artful Home catalog (always a sure thing for serious browsing time).
Wrap it, tie it, knot it! This polymer necklace can be twisted into lots of configurations.
Thanks for letting me play for another day. Happy New Year!
This polymer wall piece, Garden of the Hesperides, by Florida’s Jayne Hoffman suited the season and even though there are only small versions online, it felt right to share something Friday festive.
Individually cut strips of polymer clay were accented with inks, glitters and foils, textured and swirled next to each other giving the piece a quilt-like appearance.
Jayne’s also working on some pencil-colored, inked and patinaed pendants found on her Pinterest site.
Polymer artists like Kansas’ Christina Butler (Polygolems) are using the new faux aged metal finishes so well that my job has gotten harder. Is it metal? Is it polymer…or something else?
You’ll have to look closely to figure it out. Christina makes it even harder by mixing real metals with her faux. The small pieces are copper – I think.
There’s more to oggle on her Facebook pages and in her Etsy shop.
You’d be hard pressed to identify the polymer techniques that Washington’s Pam Sanders uses in her Paul’s Gift neckpiece. There’s some caning, some carving, some sculpting but the real strength is in Pam’s composition and in its strong, dark rawness.
She makes all the copper findings that carry the theme throughout her Urban Artefacts Jewelry line. “I love bizarre art,” Pam says on her profile. “Myth, magic, ancient cultures and fantasy novels are the inspiration for the art I create,” she says.
Be sure to check the photos in her Facebook gallery as well as on her website.
You can see a couple of the samples Sabine created for Helen Breil’s new book on her Flickr site.
Jodi Creager is wishing that all her friends receive a big bottle of this precious elixir this season. As Jodi says, “Merry Whatever!”
