Polymer Clay Daily

Fauopal

Liz Hall and Randee Ketzel are leading a resurgence of polymer artists taking another run at making a believable opal. Their techniques are coming mighty close to fooling the eye and driving the rest of us crazy figuring out how they do it.

Liz (left) is partial to boulder and Yowah Opals. She says, “I make the initial shape with iridescent mediums embedded into many different layers and types of polymers to get these results. I finish these faux opals by coating them with resin then sanding and buffing them on the wheel.”

Randee prefers hers embedded in fossilized limestone with traces of primeval seas. They’re both obsessed with simulating opal perfectly in polymer.

Kato’s new mission

Donna Kato posted these New Mission pieces yesterday to great acclaim on her Facebook page. One comment called them “…stunning and vaguely mystical.”

Donna admits that these designs were based on 10-year-old prototypes that she’d forgotten about until someone saw them in the background of a photo and inquired. Now she’s wondering what else she forgot about that she can resurrect! It’s always fun to see what Donna’s up to here and here.

Pieced polymer 2

I was on Gera Scott Chandler’s wavelength last week as I prepared a big sheet of polymer for inlay into a walnut bowl turned by my husband. Gera imagines stained glass while I gravitate to quilts and textiles. We took two very different paths and both ended up with an efficient way to cover a lot of ground.

I prepared enough polymer to have inlay for two bowls from one sheet. My starting point is a patchwork of solid polymer colors at random angles. These backgrounds are loaded up with small cane slices, faux stitching, and pieces of hex glitter.

The strips of pattern cut from the sheet are layed into the bowl, textured and fired with a heat gun.

Pieced polymer

Gera Scott Chandler shows her “starter sheet” of polymer that ends up covering a series of her fusion bangles.

The luminous sheet is a sandwich of polymer, foils, translucent clay and alcohol inks. Loose graphic designs are stamped and scored into the clay.

The big sheet is cut into pieces which are fitted and smoothed over bangle bases.

The black polymer bases underneath make the overlay glow like faux stained glass. Socket joints stretch and close easily over the elastic that holds them together.

A starter sheet is an efficient way to produce a series of companion pieces. It helps, of course, to begin with a signature palette and lots of experience with foils and inks. You’ll see what I mean when you study the colors in Gera’s Flickr site.

Polymer carnival

The lineup at this November’s Clay Carnival in Las Vegas includes several teachers from Europe including two whose works are shown here – Daniel Torres from Spain and Sylvie Peraud from France.

It’s hard to comprehend that Dani’s Radiolarian super hollow bangles are made from polymer and not by some whiz-bang laser cutting process. It would be a rare treat to take his class and find out how these wonders are made.

Sylvie Peraud will reveal how she combines extrusion and cutters to assemble this striking pendant and other rings and earrings in her new line.

There are a few spots left at the event. Catch up with their latest news on Facebook.

Hollow polymer beads

These polymer pillow beads from Austria’s Martina Mahdavi form a delicate collar and the dramatic photo of her young neck shows the piece off to great advantage. It looks like the last of the summer sky is reflected in this cloud-like choker. Martina has a continuing fascination with making lightweight beads that you can track on her Flickr page.

When you see the photos of the Austrian and Bulgarian clay groups, it’s easy to understand the energy and fresh polymer ideas coming out of this part of the world.

Back to school polymer

Galina Grebennikova takes us back to school with the rest of the kids with a straightforward free tutorial for these beads on her Flickr page. A button, some water and a circle cutter are the only tools required.

Galina is Russian and living in Ireland. Her photographs are pristine and clear making it a smooth and pleasureable trip through her experiments, tricks and techniques.

Polymer and thread

The color on these Pyramidal Penelope necklaces comes from thread sewn through arcs of white polymer triangles. The geometry creates subtle shadows which are accentuated with silk thread. Ancient Egypt meets the digital age.

These necklaces are the work of Larken Design from Cincinnati. They produce objects with strong graphic and spatial qualities focusing on geometry, repetition, pattern and a play of color and shadow.

You’ll want to explore their concepts as well as the vintage mugshot prints in their Etsy shop. Thank Claire Maunsell for leading us to this link.

Polymer dancing shoes

Start your week with this polymer micromosaic dancing shoes necklace from Cynthia Toops. Her updated new works gallery shows these little slippers which you can also find on the Facere Gallery site.

Each shoe is listed as 1″ x 0.3″ x 0.2″ which seems impossibly small and totally Toopsian.

Cynthia continues her Metamorphis rolodex bracelet series. Her very small black and white illustrations on polymer are also recent additions.

Her Sleepless in Seattle necklace is part of the Dual Nature show at the Wing Luke Museum through January of next year. This Green Eyes necklace is made from polymer and glass.

If you haven’t explored Cynthia’s work for a while and could use some Monday inspiration, take a few minutes to click through her newest polymer treasures.

Polymer for galas

Rossella Puoti (clayartitalia) gives tried and true polymer techniques an Italian twist and tops them off with a glamorous presentation.

This bold treatment of extruded strings of polymer looks dramatic on the runway. See more fashionable photos on Rossella’s Facebook page.

If seeing polymer in the spotlight thrills you, you won’t want to miss the first ever museum exhibit and symposium at the Racine Art Museum. Registration for the October 21 gala weekend is open and online here.

Have a glamorous weekend.