Polymer Clay Daily

Tuesday’s mix and match polymer clay

Yesterday’s musings kicked up some dust! Judy Belcher pondered the theme for the next Synergy conference (and she added a great new photo of her work). Judy Dunn explained how creating polymer clay cranes nourishes her and her audience.

Thanks for participating in the discussion.

For a little mix and match, here’s a polymer clay shield shape that Lauren Cole Abrams (LaBeana) grew into something much more interesting. Experimenting with Donna Kato’s crushed ikat technique, Lauren then added her own signature style.

Disbrain’s color and our craft’s generosity

One lovely end-of-summer shot of color from a Russian site called Disbrain. Translation isn’t helping much and I hope that the picture says it all. NOTE: The link had lots of porn attached. Go to http://disbrain.livejournal.com/1652.html only if you’re virus protected. Thanks to those who alerted me.

Last week’s American Crafts Council salon that’s now online as an audio file got me thinking about crafts and activism.

Polymer clay has been mostly drawn to admirable charitable causes like Bottles of Hope and Breast Cancer Awareness (one of many sites) and Ron Lehockey’s Cerebral Palsy Kids Center support. (Click on his new halloween hearts.)

With our recent conversations about the perils of gold and diamonds, we’re inching closer to making bolder statements about our medium. The deviant art crowd turns away from the pretty and the comfortable to examine another viewpoint. Overall we’re a mostly tame and generous group. That tameness may change.

In his book Buying In, Rob Walker, one of the salon speakers, suggests the following.

Maybe in some sense, the craft idea is a kind of gateway drug to a different way of thinking about material culture – and about consumer behavior that doesn’t merely feel like being part of something larger than ourselves, but really is.

Thanks for listening today. I’m reading and thinking.

Turkish hooks, Canadian molds

What I unearthed as I sorted through mail begins in the housewares and tools department. These playful wall hooks are built with polymer clay over wire by Turkey’s Arzu Musa. She also specializes in flower pots and glowing candleholders.

New frame and cabochon molds from Canada’s Shades of Clay also caught my eye. The templates are paired to help you shape a perfect bezel for each cabochon. Wendy Orlowski created a photo gallery of inventive ways of using the clever molds. This looks helpful to those of us who have trouble cutting even borders and mitered corners. The group introduces some intriguing tools and textures.

If you’re one of those polymer clay artists or illustrators who comes from the graphics camp, you’ll want to answer NPCG’s call for proposals for a new logo to reflect their broadening international image.

Congrats to all who completed Friday’s pop quiz. Don’t fret if you didn’t get a perfect score. This won’t go on your permanent record. It’s only meant to improve your color vision or bolster your argument for a better computer monitor.

Color tests and weekend homework

The bootup chimes of my computer were music to my ears when power was restored this evening. I’ll assign you some weekend homework to keep you busy as I catch up.

Did you see the color test in the left colum? It looks easy and it’s great eye training. I’m already getting messages from readers about how it’s harder than it looks. I thought I’d ace it. I didn’t.

In response to your questions, the book in which Laura Timmins has found her recipes for financial success is Crafting as a Business by Wendy Rosen. Laura admits that following the formulas is a tedious process but well worth the effort.

Interested in metalwork or other online classes as mentioned in yesterday’s post? Connie Fox invites you to also visit her site, Jatayu, which offers an array of online metalworking classes.

The weather is spectacular. I can finally do laundry, plug in the pasta machine motor and get online! Should be a great weekend.

Leupold’s polymer and wire

I’ve discovered the joys of simple metalworking. After getting the magnificent Alexander Calder jewelry book from the library and seeing the delicate polymer clay/wire work of Oregon’s Dede Leupold, I am persuaded that I should try it. Dede has no web site but here’s a page of her recent work.

And I just ran across a promising site, Jewelry Lessons, that seems to have simple wireworking tutorials. The site looks perky and fun. Has anyone tried it?

Oh, there’s so much to learn once I get my power and internet connection back. Maybe today!

Mishly finds new polymer artists

Ohmigosh, Iris Mishly (polymerionline) has found some wonderful links! I’ll lean on her while my power’s out and she’ll take you to some spectacular new artists with a worldwide flavor. Just for starters, she found:

  1. Lisa Henderson (LillyBriar) from Brisbane, Australia (sparkle meets organic in this picture)
  2. Teri from Regina, Canada and her moody graphic pendants
  3. Spain’s Siddiqa Summers (Lasidi) and her quaint mosaics
  4. California’s Selena Anne and her mosaic-looking chunky beads and exotic faces

Iris does her homework and polymerionline is full of new names and faces worth following plus her own pattern-rich work. Thanks, Iris.

Timmins promotes polymer

Wisconsin’s Laura Timmins put polymer clay on the cover of Key Milwaukee magazine. Laura makes her own cord and carefully crafts all the findings and beads in her asian-looking designs. You’ll love the look at her process. She uses a no-nonsense approach to marketing and selling polymer clay that works.

This magazine article promotes the Hidden River Art Festival at the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts held September 19-21.

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Thanks for all your good wishes. We’re fine and without power for another few days. I will continue to visit my sister nearby for showers and internet. I’m slowly catching up on my email and research and I appreciate your patience.

Thanks, Ike

Came home to Ohio to find downed trees, no power and a shaken husband who narrowly averted death by falling tree. Our generator is keeping the fridge cold and intermittently I get a computer hook-up. I’ll be back as soon as I can.

Ohio’s power trucks are in Texas to help them out so we probably won’t have power for several days. I have friends and coffee shops to visit with my laptop in tow in the meanwhile. Stay tuned.