Arden’s bittersweet journey

Kim Arden’s current solo polymer show at 20 North Gallery in Toledo, Ohio gives us another example of “forced” creativity. “Adorning Glory” is the gallery’s first all-jewelry show.

Kim explains that, “Making work for this show has been a wonderful yet bittersweet journey. I recently lost my mother, my greatest fan and critic. In creating these new pieces, I was able to get away from the heartbreak and emerge a little stronger each day. Mom would have been proud of this new body of work and surely would have picked out a few pieces for herself!”

Kim’s bold works are featured within gold picture frames hung at eye level throughout the gallery. It’s a simple and effective exhibit technique that leads viewers comfortably through the show. The gallery’s web site gives you a 3D view of the show and Kim’s latest works can be seen more closely on her revamped website.

Abrams’ forced blooms

Preparing for a show and an online teaching gig forced Lauren Abrams to try new polymer clay designs. “It’s always fun to have a show to do, it gives me motivation to create work I might not otherwise,” she says. Take a look here and here.

My husband and I are blasting eastward across the country (I’m posting this from a motel in Kansas). Can’t wait to give up road food and get back to my own routine. Funny, the things a vacation forces you to appreciate.

Road trip polymer

Nothing better to entertain you than a good story while I hit the road back to Ohio. And there’s nobody better at giving us a story and a chuckle than Cassy Muronaka (that’s her brooch at the left) on her Sometimes Daily, Always Random blog.

She shares her craft store closing sale adventures in hilarious detail. Her suburban haikus are a hoot. Often her photos speak for themselves. Cassy is that lovely combination of wry humorist and crazy neighbor whose writing makes her a dear friend. Look at all the publications she’s been in!

On top of all that, she makes a mean cane. She’s a perfect road trip companion. Enjoy.

Note: The “Readers’ Links” page has duplicates and weird stuff going on. I’ll just keep slamming your sites up until I get home to tidy things. Bear with me.

Wires crossed with polymer

The UK’s Alita Porter (DoricDragons) helps us continue a theme with a few of her new works. Like yesterday’s Elvira Lopez del Prado, Alita helps me see new possibilities in wire wrapping.

Alita’s also been experimenting with air-drying Lumina clay which is particularly good for creating delicate flower petals.

Fairy tales and artichokes

Lopez del Prado's fairy tale polymer necklace

Barcelona’s Elvira Lopez del Prado wraps and spins wire around her fanciful polymer clay flowers and baubles to create what she calls her Fairy Tales series.

Meanwhile Austria’s Eva Ehmeier (Hoedlgut) folds and stacks her polymer slices into undulating rows that create the cuff shown below from her Artichoke series.

Both artists are this week’s poster girls for thinking outside the box, breaking the rules and following their muses.

Links

Thanks for all the links you’ve submitted to the new page. Since I must approve every one, there may be some delay between your submission and actual posting. If your link doesn’t appear immediately, don’t be alarmed, come back and check later.

Unselfconscious polymer

France’s Danièle Moucadel (fimotifimota) knows how to hang loose with polymer. Not sloppy or thoughtless but carefree and unselfconscious. The mixture of colors and shapes in this new necklace look springy.

For me it’s a trick to ride a wave of inspiration while silencing doubts and self-criticism, especially as I try to cram work into the last few days of vacation.

Danièle’s Flickr pages and website are full of loose, fresh works that inspire me to hang loose.

Thanks to Bettina Welker for the link. And speaking of links, you can add your site to a new page on PCDaily by going to the top of this page and clicking on Readers’ Links.

Spring polymer birds

Victoria’s Joan Tayler has added the cutest quail to her polymer bird menagerie complete with a photo of the construction. Her strand of colorful birds is a happy reminder that spring is here.

Joan ventures into fiber related projects but is always pulled back to polymer by the creatures that fly by her window. She set up a little studio in a corner of the kitchen while on a recent vacation and said, “Quail are a big deal here so I have made a lot of them…also loons, redwing black birds, eagles and chickadees.”

This Monday Joan reminds us to look closely and to take inspiration from what’s around us.

Easter peeps and bunnies

What’s Easter without peeps and bunnies? Here are polymer versions of both for your holiday weekend.

Denver’s Molly Cassell earned headlines in the Denver newspaper for her polymer Peppatar 3D diorama in the city’s third annual peeps competition. Molly used polymer for everything in the piece – the peeps, the drink cups and even the popcorn – and came in first in the contest.

Ohio’s Cody Goodin finished his polymer Bunny Buddha just in time. The bunny sits on lettuce leaves in the lettuce position, sharing his wisdom with the world. You can see the sculpture emerge (he didn’t start out as a bunny but his ears grew) on Cody’s blog.

However you celebrate, have a joyous and happy Easter weekend.

Thomas thinks outside the box

These polymer flowers with antique button centers were made by California’s Maureen Thomas for an “Outside the Box” show at PlacerArts center. She chronicles the progress of her project on her blog.

The flowers look so much like metal that I could hardly believe my eyes. Maureen gives a big hint about the technique she used in her blog post here. Clever girl.

Thanks to Randee Ketzel for bringing us the link.

Oops….I timed the post for the wrong time zone. I’m an April fool.

Western Easter

Montana’s Margaret Regan is one of the pioneers of polymer. If you’ve ever made a bangle bracelet on elastic, you can thank her for the idea.

These polymer covered eggs look so like my vacation terrain that I just had to add them. Margaret’s been making them for years and the raven cane is one of her signatures.

Her web site hasn’t changed much and she doesn’t promote herself much so you may have missed these treasures. Her work continues to be impeccably precise.

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