Polymer Clay Daily

Chandler’s frieze frenzy

Gera Scott Chandler has been on a polymer clay roll! She’s posted 35 new works, most of them 3D friezes, to her gallery site this month. These framed compositions are full of lively colors and shapes. It’s been fun to watch from the sidelines as she goes on a creative blitz, learning along the way.

She found that her larger all-polymer wall pieces tended to slump and bend a bit. She shares her source materials…old books, illustrations, fish catalogs, her guild buddies, and her Vancouver surroundings…but you’ll have to guess how she achieves her painterly effects.

Have a colorful spring weekend.

My studio is on the local artists’ tour this weekend and I’ve got some cleaning to do. I’ll also be trying to fix some of the blog bugs. Thank you, dear readers, for your patience.

Helm’s Auntie and tools from trash

While I shy away from new tools for polymer clay, I can’t resist tools repurposed from items found in my junk drawer. Donna Diseker, a newcomer to clay, sent this link to Edith’s Bijoux blog which is filled with pictures of all kinds of household junk turned into terrific tools.

Tania Zakharchenko‘s (Russian, I think) uses the bottom of beverage cans to form nice brooch shapes. Of course, why didn’t I think of that?

And since we’ve steered off course, you need to see what Sarajane Helm is up to with her Aunt Acid, a polymer clay puppet with a purpose. Sarajane calls her “a tie-dyed tempest with a teapot and a wicked sense of observational humor whose satirically sharp wit goes along with a soft heart and a hard head.” Auntie even has her own myspace page.

Auntie says she prepares her web posts attired in a blogging suit and blogging bra. I’m still chuckling.

Fresh looks from Europe

Looking for a little “April in Paris”? Here are a couple of fresh european (France and Belgium) sites for you to explore.

On the left we have Cecile (no last name) whose posts are filled with consistently good work and lots of experiments with a flair (many of them inspired by Nanetta’s book).

On the right we have Adaya’s bracelet, polymer pushed through filigree metal which was inspired by Susan Rose a while back.

Adaya’s site contains a treasure trove of links and great stuff. Susan Turney is responsible for our travels today.

Haunani’s spring pod

One of my favorite polymer clay pieces for spring is this pod/sprout from Lindly Haunani. It’s quintessentially spring with natural colors and shape. The texture comes from sand mixed into the clay. You can read about Lindly’s inclusions here.

But even better than the pod itself is the memory of the Shrine Mont conference perhaps ten years ago when lots of us wore them in celebration of the season and for the fun of it. Wearing it today brings the celebration back again and makes me smile.

Wire and polymer clay

Wire and polymer clay don’t often mix well. But France’s Celine (aka gris bleu) does a masterful job of it. (Please write if you know her last name.)

The wire is well integrated into the pieces in surprising and delightful ways that combine nicely with her strong colors. Her interview on the Parole de Pate blog translates fairly well and may give you a fresh perspective to start your week.

Note: I’m moving the furniture around on PolymerClayDaily and widening the page to three columns. The arrangement isn’t perfect yet so don’t be surprised if you feel a little disoriented as I tweak the type and smooth the rough edges. Pardon my dust. Let me know if I mess up something on your screen in the process.

Dustin receives Smithsonian’s New Direction Award

Polymer clay artist Kathleen Dustin has just been awarded the Smithsonian Craft Show‘s New Direction – Excellence in Design Of the Future Award.

The annual Smithsonian show is one of the most discriminating and prestigious shows in the world for contemporary fine craft. This year, the show will feature the works of 120 exhibitors selected from some 1,400 applicants. Ford/Forlano were chosen for the show as well.

Kathleen was juried into this show several times earlier in her career, and was profiled by Smithsonian Magazine in 2000, but had seen a Smithsonian dry spell in recent years. Returning to that extremely competitive show with a risky and bold new body of work (read more in the current issue of Polymer Cafe) was the culmination of a dream for her.

Her work and the “New Direction” award bring respect and pride to polymer clay artists everywhere.

The photo is from Kathleen’s booth in Ann Arbor last summer. Thanks for the scoop goes to Jan Frame.

Friesen updates, moves forward

Christi Friesen is throwing everything but the kitchen sink into her new book, Polymer Clay and Mixed Media: Together At Last. The spikes on this dragon’s head are fork tines with the full forks running down the back. The book is due out at the end of the year.

Christi’s added a few new things from her books and classes to her website.

For her NYC book signing and workshops this weekend, Christi has invited students and fans to wear their Christi-inspired works (each receives a free raffle ticket for one of her works).

Early in her career, this often-imitated artist and teacher made a conscious decision to treat imitation as flattery and to avoid feeling threatened or to let territorial feelings get in the way of her creativity. “It’s art and it thrives on community,” she says. “I definitely get a kick out of having my work so well appreciated.”

Doering’s Hundertwasser homage

I’m completely beyond my comfort zone as I cruise through a polymer clay German Flickr site and a MySpace page. I need help understanding both the German language and the MySpace culture. I’m convinced I’ll learn something if I persist and I liked Annerose Tulpe’s Doering’s music choice. (I’m not even sure that’s her name. Thanks, Bettina)

I’m loving Annerose’s homage to Austrian painter Hundertwasser and Rene Brault. Their colors and styles are perfectly compatible with ours and Annerose captures their spirit. Her extruded polymer clay string-covered beads are polished to a sheen and have a vibrant unpredictability.

McCaw launches new site

As promised, another new polymer clay site for you. Sandra McCaw launched this stunning showcase of her work last night. It’s refined and sophisticated with a dash of New England style.

“In working with polymer clay, I am able to create complex patterns where lines seem to lose their distinction and blend, and where colors bloom and merge,” she says.

Sandra’s complex and energetic work reflects her spirit well. We wish her much success as she takes off for her first wholesale show.

Take a look at last year’s post (and some archival photos) to see how far Sandra’s come!

Turney, Cormier, Holmes – adventurous combinations

Susan Turney combined leftover sheets of inked and leafed polymer clay with flower canes and came up with a distinctive new look…very Van Gogh. Susan was working color combinations chosen for a friend and not something she was comfortable with.

Nice things can happen when you venture out of your zone. Thanks to Susan Lomuto for the link. Read about how Heather Powers ventured out.

Dan Cormier and Tracy Holmes have left their comfort zone to good effect too. Their new web site is up and the sidebar is always open for guests and comments. Drop in on them.

The blogs are blooming this spring. There’s another new site opening tomorrow and you’ll have to check tomorrow’s post to find out where.