Jacksonville, Florida’s Sherry Shine loves mokume gane for its random serendipity. Two of her mokume pieces were award winners in the Fire Mountain Gems’ contest last year. It’s her line of camouflage earrings that caught my eye.
Yes, she’s a proud Air Force veteran! Why not serve fashionably?
Looking forward and not backward can be daunting in 2020. Even more so after an accident, a pandemic, and three flights of stairs. But nothing keeps Lindly Haunani down.
After she took over her own physical therapy, Lindly set goals. For her hands, it was knitting and then drawing. Fine motor skills are returning. For her legs, it’s to walk to the food co-op, a mere 12 blocks away. Stuffed grape leaves and real cheese beckon. For the mind, it’s meditation. For the soul, it’s the pursuit of color, texture, and design. Or maybe it’s vice versa. Or maybe they all meld together.
In her own words, “The first time I was able to go outside and walk around I was almost overwhelmed with awe. The feel of the wind on my skin, the fresh green scents in the air, the billowing white clouds above, and the bark of the tree in front of me – everything was exquisitely present and magical.
“I anticipated that since it has taken this long to get back to polymer it might be an emotional and frustrating experience. Apparently I waited until the perfect moment as just hearing the sound of my pasta machine motor running brought joy. I am working to complete a color mixing project I had started in January.”
As Lindly says, “That was then, this is now.” It’s her new mantra. The teacher is still teaching. You can help here.
Yes, I’ve really got the blues, not because I’m sad, but for the love of the rich blues of African Indigo-dyed textiles produced by the Yoruba people of Nigeria.
The hinged vessel pendant above is titled, Gathering of the Masaai, an ethnic group from Kenya and Tanzania. I love how they adorn themselves in layers of beaded neckpieces.
This mixed media piece includes African Indigo Textile, seed beads, and cane work. To see more of how I’ve had the blues over the summer, click this link…
Books are hard to assemble and I don’t want to give up on this one. It’s too near to my heart and too close to the finish line to give up now.
In the meanwhile, I’m assembling a group of artists to pinch-hit for PCD. Don’t be surprised if we drop the ball from time to time.
This is a temporary separation that I’m hoping our relationship can withstand. We’ll appreciate each other a whole lot more in October. Stay well. CT
Connecticut’s Carol Monahan (CuriousClayCreations) made Japanese-inspired orbs for a guild project. The shape is based on origami, the surface is Mokume Gane.
Tell me it’s not just me….this construction is hard to understand, right? I want to hold it in my hand. We’ll need more input from Carole.
It’s Monday. Too early in the week for this?
This piece from Switzerland’s Enkhe Tserenbadam (@enkhethemaker) made me gasp. I try to keep track of my body when I’m looking at art. A gasp tells me that I’m close to paydirt. It’s like that “hot and cold” game we played as kids. This was warmer, warmer, HOT.
Enkhe drills each of the holes in her hollow pieces. It’s luscious to browse her site and consider how she works.
Speaking of warmer, warmer, I spent the week in an online gathering where gasps and astonishment surprised us again and again. Somehow our troubling times have moved some of us to “hot, hot, hot.” Come on over to StudioMojo to see some of the cool tools and sizzling art that we shared. Who knew a Zoom conference could be this much fun?
Chicago’s Ann Duncan Hlavach brings us an end-of-the-summer flower. She tucks them in her outrageous garden among their more perishable, less flamboyant cousins.
If you need a pleasant diversion (and who doesn’t), take a stroll along Ann’s garden path.
Puzzle night has always been a hit at an annual gathering in the mountains that’s been going on for 20+ years. Though we’re online this year, the puzzle was still a huge hit orchestrated by North Carolina’s Julie Eakes.
Each player created a 3″x3″ polymer tile based on the line drawing that Julie sent via e-mail. Anything light on her black and white clue drawing must be a light value, darks must be dark. We had no clue about the theme or the color scheme.
Julie secured permission to use Thomas Wimberly’s poignant and powerful Global Forefront sketch. We submitted jpeg photos of our square tiles to Julie via email.
She based this ingenious group project on the im-a-puzzle.com site which meant that Julie had to upload our 30 files to them. Today we each tried to solve and assemble the puzzle virtually on our computer screens. Usually, we elbow and jostle as we crowd around a table to figure what goes where. We missed the cheek-to-cheek jostling but the laughter and competition were undiminished.
Now, each of us must mail our actual tile to the puzzle winner. It felt liberating to have creative good times. Click on the photo to see if you can pick out any artist just by her style.
Vermont’s Christine Damm (StoriesTheyTell) makes earthy, rough-hewn pieces with surfaces that look weathered and worn.
Here she played with distress oxides that make the polymer brooch look like it was unearthed and brushed off to reveal a story from another time. Christine builds layers of color, of texture, of materials, of design, of meaning that require a curious and daring wearer.
This piece lingered in her studio until she ringed it with polymer snakes that she accented with metallics and proclaimed its story sufficiently told.
Do you have pandemic hair? My longer hair keeps flying into my mouth and fighting with my mask and glasses. So I keep looking for barrettes and clips to keep my mane under control. Of course, I want them embellished fashionably with polymer.
These barrettes and clips from France’s Del Roussel show us how to tame stray strands with style.
Del’s patterns are crisp and summery. And these findings are perfect for using up scraps. A small project idea to start your week.
