Polymer Clay Daily

Wynn blogs and stamps

I won’t tell you how much time I spent chasing links for this post. My new life is enticingly unstructured and the computer and the studio both call to me. Computer won today.

Was it fate that I’d run into Heather Wynn’s new blog, swoondimples, and her cautionary pendant pictured above? Heather turns a simple phrase and a bit of polymer clay into high art. Go knock around on her new blog and see her work on her etsy store and her site. Check out last Wednesday’s post and those stud earrings.

It’s fun to bump a new blogger’s numbers up. Be sure to leave comments.

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Extruding dry clay

It must be hard to extrude clay this dry but I’m sure likin’ the results. I guess I’ll have to break down and run this Parole de pate page through the French translation instead of just looking at the pictures to figure it out. Lazy day. (Here’s the English translation. Thanks, Annerose.)

Annerose Doering and others in that part of the world are making some playful multicolor beads out of clay that looks like it’s way past its prime.

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French connections

In case you missed this link from yesterday’s globe-spanning comments, you’ll want to look at the glowing colors and distinctive wirework of France’s Celine (aka gRIS bLEu). She credits Melanie West for the inspiration for some of her organic, oceanic pieces.

Celine also experiments with simulating the heavily patterned lampworked beads of German artist, Melanie Moertel in polymer clay. (Moertel’s beads are reminiscent of Kathleen Dustin’s in some ways.) While both experiments are derivative, Celine’s own sensibilities make the work unmistakably hers.

If you’re like me, you’ll follow these links all over Europe thanks to yesterday’s comment from Eva.

New Nom: Susan Lomuto’s work, now under the more appropriate heading of DailyArtMuse.com, is unmistakable too. Susan’s wide ranging tastes and impeccable tastes will keep your muse in fine fettle.

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European bangles

Keeping tabs on the polymer clay bangle trend, I roamed the world to find more examples to start your week. The ones on the left are from Austria’s Gudrun Stolz. The unusual shapes play against the smooth surfaces into which she’s carved and backfilled the designs. She’s only been working with polymer for a year.

Italy’s Laura Bocchi (Verdevescica) created the "Spazio 2" bangles on the right which are embellished with thick slices of cane or extrusions. She’s also been creating unusual flowers from combinations of wire and what looks to be liquid polymer.

It’s good to see how the bangle trend moves and changes around the world.

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Scott’s polymer trilobites

Vancouver’s Andrew Scott captured this trilobite in a jar (the last real one disappeared 250 million years ago). It took me a while to verify that his critters are polymer clay. He describes them as being made of PVC gel. He’s obviously passionate about bugs and his armatures are works of art in themselves.

It’s fun to look at the products of his fertile mind on his site and his Flickr pages.

Scott has just finished a bugs-versus-octopods chess set for a collector, a meter-long dragonfly larva for Vancouver’s Nature House and tentacled alien creatures for a science-fiction horror film.

Hope the bugs don’t bite this weekend.

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Crocenzi and tempered glass

Susan Crocenzi has produced growing body of polymer clay and tempered glass mosaic work since we last looked at her in March. The piece shown here, a 3’x5′ wall piece made of tempered glass, polymer clay tiles, amethyst, metal beads, glass gems and smalti, will hang in the new Austin Centre in Texas.

Detail photos on her Flickr site (look here and here) help you appreciate the work better.

Polymer clay allows her to insert colorfully coordinated designs and messages within the free flowing colors of her tempered glass backgrounds. She is now offering classes in her northern California studio.

Thanks to Susan Turney for the link and the reminder to take a second look.

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Sexton simply extrudes

I’m a sucker for simple polymer clay techniques done well and these extrusions from Colorado’s Karen Sexton hooked me immediately. Simple color palettes, simple extrusions, clever graphic treatments. Karen’s meticulous craftsmanship makes them more than simple.

She says it was a PCDaily post that got her thinking about extrusions again which is nice to know. This is the year I’m going to get Karen online so that you can see more of her fine work.

Note: Retirement is lovely. Every delicious summer day I smile as I turn off the alarm clock and roll over. Later I toddle down to the studio and pinch myself.

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