Boston Baked Beads

Scanning through the list of readers’ links has been a treat, a breath of fresh air that’s perfect for Monday.

Don’t you love sites with names like Boston Baked Beads? Lisa Mackin has a way with words and clay (that’s her pink brooch). She calls her kaleidoscope focal beads “indie pendants.” Cracks me up. Her wish chicks give an updated twist to Japanese Kokeshi dolls.

Netherland’s Teodora Colic switches from fiber to polymer with ease and a dramatic sense of design. Her “burdie” was a recent sunny day impulse.

You’ll find more new names by clicking through the list (there goes the morning). Eventually I’ll try to make order of the page but right now enjoy the new faces….and add your link if you haven’t yet.

Polymer street art from CZK

London street artist CityZenKane’s has added a new video to his arsenal. His ray gun video shows the making of his 3D street sculptures. CZK sculpts the basic form in polymer, casts it and then paints it or covers it with cane slices. He also works with polymer UV and neon effects on his street art.

These additional articles and photos (here, here and here) may give you a better perspective on CZK’s work. The link is from Italy’s Leila Bidler.

I’ve been so wrapped up in vacationing and spring that I’ve neglected some of the edgier, more interesting developments in our community. Here are some of the recent polymer-related books you may find of interest as well.

European Clay Art is a 100-page catalog of the work of 45 artists in 16 countries.
Steampunkery, an action-packed mad-scientist/polymer artist book of projects from Christi Friesen
Confident Color, a new two-DVD set of polymer color tricks from Lindly Haunani
Perfectly Paired, Patricia Kimle’s exploration of ways to cleverly combine polymer and metal clays.
Jewelry Inspirations, Sherry Haab’s latest show and tell about trendy, delightful jewelry designs from a wide range of materials.
Lisa Pavelka’s Complete Book of Polymer Clay, 244 pages of techniques and applications.
Polymer Artists Showcase, a great collection of polymer designs from Tejae Floyde. You can thumb through it online.
Synergy2 Exhibit Catalog, an 80-page memento of this year’s IPCA conference featuring work from artists worldwide.
My current favorite non-polymer book is ChainStyle by Jane Dickerson. It’s a great reference for those of us who tend to be too matchy-matchy.

Creative de-stressing

Jana Roberts Benzon says that the stunning new works on her site, “…are the fruits of those priceless de-stressing days.”

“The first three show the fun I’ve had playing with form; this type of work is zen-like and apropos to my state of mind. The last three images show my woven style of work, this time with undulating dimension,” she explains.

In Jana’s Dimensional Woven Brooch, she builds on the bargello style first popularized by Laura Liska and adds dimension within flowing shapes. Jana’s works are sold at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Thanks to Randee Ketzel for the link!

Feichtinger’s twists

Austria’s Carina Feichtinger shows us her latest variation of the polymer clay mobius designs that have been floating around. Her fabric image transfers, metal clay accents, and distinctive palette combine for a sophisticated look.

Carina’s been twisting and connecting strips in interesting and innovative ways. Peek over her shoulder at the new work on her website and her Flickr page.

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.

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