Polymer Clay Daily

Marie Segal’s Site

I’m so pleased to discover that Marie Siegel has a new site which includes some of her recent polymer clay work. Who else can claim to have crocheted a polymer clay sweater or to have worked in the medium since 1971?

"At one point I had 18 employees and sold to Bullocks, Macy’s, Nordstrom’s, the Icing, and lots of other major stores. I remember being the busiest I have ever been, having more money than I have ever had, and having no time or inclination to do more art or anything else. My work was in show rooms in New York and Los Angeles and I produced product lines 5 times a year," Marie remembers.

Marie knows the vagaries of fashion and vows "to be all I can be for myself and my family and not for another company or person." She and Howard have operated the Clay Factory, Inc. since 1980. You’ll want to read all about her.

Thanks to Susan Rose for giving us this heads up.

Blogging Mecca and Tabakman Works

I’m in New York, mecca for art blogging. Last night I connected with other bloggers at an American Craft Council salon event to hear about what happens when craft traditions and craft new wave colide as they have on the internet. About 40 bloggers from Park Slope and Brooklyn listened as the owners of Rare Device and Greenjeans talked about their blogging experience.

Not only was the topic thought-provoking but the renewed energy of the ACC was palpable. The first issue of the all-new AMERICAN CRAFT (the Oct/Nov 2007 issue) is out with a new look and a new voice that reflects the current convergence of craft, architecture, art, design, and fashion, pushing these connections to the forefront of the cultural conversation.

Here’s a sampling of links that will place your finger directly on the pulse of crafts and DIY arts…and polymer clay, of course.

Whip Up | Hear, Hear – Intelligence for Small Business | Saplings Unite | Interview with the Greenjeans owners | Greenjeans review of the last salon | Skinny laMinx | Port2Port (Portland, Oregon and Portland, Maine)

It feels all wrong to post without a polymer picture. Here’s some lovely new work from Pennsylvania’s Laura Tabakman (sent in by Barbara Forbes Lyons). You’ll have to talk amongst yourselves, I’m off to roam the city.

Diffendaffer Updates

Take a peek at Grant Diffendaffer’s updated site where his new polymer clay work and upcoming book are featured. His blog is called Many Parts – the definition of poly-mer, get it?

Grant’s Polymer Clay Beads book will be out from Lark Books in January and it boasts twenty different beadmaking techniques and thirteen pieces of jewelry. "Learn my latest techniques for lathe turned and textured beads, mica beads, recursive molded beads, mandrel formed beads, hollow form beads and more," he promises.

His extruded and lathe-turned bead technique is simply a wonder to behold. If you’re itching to learn something completely different and can’t wait for the book, he’s got a class coming up in San Antonio in October.

And speaking of classes, Dan Cormier still has a few seats left in his October 13 "Form and Finish" class at the ArtWay in Maryland. The rest of his east coast tour is sold out.

Bambi Necklace from Finland

Oh to be this playful and to be making a polymer clay Bambi necklace like this one by Emmuzka of Helsinki, Finland. Make no mistake Emmuzka is a clay novice, but a novice with a sense of style and whimsy. Emmuzka’s experiment in making fairy wings for Barbie dolls is very sweet too.

If I were holiday crazy, I’d consider Santa and his reindeer for a necklace design sure to get grins. A quick cruise through Emmuzka’s Flickr site may remind you of your own early efforts and first successes.

It’s a little diversion as I ponder the past and the future of our community of fellow artists around the world. Note that the necklace was made for a swap with an American artist.

Art and Soul Doll


Washington’s Jessica Acosta pushes the idea of the polymer clay doll by combining figurative forms with unusual elements such as landscapes and building architecture. "Simple emotions and the small pleasures taken from life, such as sitting in the sun, or the feel of sand on bare feet are the inspiration for my dolls," she says.

I ran across Jessica as I was poring over the list of Art and Soul classes this October in Portland. Their roster of artists and classes is very tempting. Jessica teaches "Layered Dolls" and "Time Busted."

Her site contains a veritable who’s who of polymer clay doll links.

Haunani and Maggio Warm Up for Their Color Book

Polymer clay’s most famous color girls, Lindly Haunani and Maggie Maggio, have moved into writing mode as the deadlines for their new book loom. They’ve been exercising their writing skills by posting to their blogs.

Lindly’s running down her "top 100 tips" list and Maggie’s examining how the color blind experience color along with some great links to see how your web pages look. We’re in for treats as they warm up for book writing. They’re also looking for photos to illustrate their concepts. Submissions are due to them by November 1.

Details for submission are on Lindly’s site.

Felt and Polymer Clay

The Etsy wool felted beads on Polymer Clay Notes threw me right back into full autumn mode. I’ve been toying with the idea of combining polymer clay and felt ever since I saw Debra DeWolff’s (no web site yet) bracelets at Ravensdale. The flat rounds behind the seed beads are simple cane slices and the leaves and flowers provide real punch.

Why fight it? Polymer Clay Express sells some felt bracelet blanks (Savoir Faire Felts) and there are great colors of felt beads available through several Etsy artists. (The purists make their own.) Nothing like a little retail therapy to fix my seasonal disorder. Have a great weekend.

A last-minute note from Judy Dunn who sent along this new work by Louise Fischer Cozzi.

Polymer clay artists Louise, Judy, Loretta Lam and Karin Noyes will be at Crafts at Lyndhurst Castle in Tarrytown, NY (Westchester) this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. This intriguing new work isn’t on Louise’s website yet but you could see it in NY. Thanks, Judy.

Here’s a bit more of Louise’s new work found on another of her show sites.

Fall Colors in Polymer Clay

The air is crisp and cool here and with the distinct feel of fall. Here are two sites that reflect the upcoming season in polymer clay.

Michigan’s Jan Ziozios creates transfer collages that look like heirlooms. Her treatment of birds is particularly appealing as the neotropicals migrate south.

Lesya Binkin has given up her day job as a graphic designer in Israel to concentrate on her polymer clay art. She combines layers of metal leaf, powders and liquid clay into lovely vibrant necklaces. To see her gallery page of pendants is to capture autumn in a glance.

DIY Heads New Directions at MakerFaire

One more plug for our own Leslie Blackford whose polymer clay covered nightlights will be featured in the October 20-21 Maker Faire in Austin, TX. Maker Faire is a two-day event that celebrates arts, crafts, engineering, science projects and the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) mindset.

The DIY movement is helping to revitalize the polymer clay community and Leslie Jo is our canary in this coal mine. Craft and Make magazines are dense quarterly magazines full of quirky and clever ideas. Want to know where young artists are headed? Take a look. Maybe we’ll even be making our own plastic in the future!