Polymer Clay Daily

Spontaneous

After the wonderful intensity of yesterday’s polymer clay pieces I felt drawn in the opposite direction. I headed to my French links for a dose of spontaneity and colorful exuberance.

I couldn’t find the artist’s name on this site. She’s elusive, my French is terrible and I’m hoping someone will reveal her to us. (She’s Dominique Franceschi. Thanks to Marilyn V. for identifying her.) Scroll all the way down to see some quick and clever extrusions turned into mokume gane. This work shows what playful confidence can produce.

Thanks for the link goes to Singapore’s Rita Sim.

Voluptuous Veggies

No better way to start your week than with a look at these new polymer clay purses from Kathleen Dustin. (Click on each one.) Her "voluptuous vegetables" signal a move on from Dustin’s layered transluscent women and more recent boar bristle series. These new species made me gasp with awe and admiration.

Thanks for the pictures go to super friend Hollie Mion who tracked down Kathleen at the Ann Arbor, MI arts festival. I’ve included a few larger images of her works and her display.

Beachwear

Polymer clay beachwear! Made by Nova Scotia’s Mary Dowden-Marrie, (MaryMusic on Etsy) these little delights look so summery.

Mary’s adept at wire work and I’m not sure that the polymer clay butterflies were made by her but I couldn’t resist. Give yourself a pedicure and take off for the beach. Have a lovely weekend.

Art as Metaphor

It’s fun to poke around in the polymer clay items offered in The Artful Home online catalog. The prices are nearly as inspiring as the work (like this spectacular box by Bonnie Bishoff and J.M. Syron).

And speaking of prices, I was captivated by Alison Lee’s interview with art business coach Bruce Baker on her CraftCast podcast.

Bruce theorizes that the very high and very low prices we see on artwork are extensions of what’s happening in our economy. "Art becomes a metaphor for what’s happening in our culture," he says. The middle is vanishing. He predicts that after this war, as after wars in the past, there will be increased appreciation for the earth and the arts.

More Cover Girls

Lindly Haunani’s purple polymer clay pods are on the cover of August’s Crafts Report magazine! Lindly talks about how she uses marketing materials to set up workshops. You can download a terrific article free from the magazine (along with great pictures). Fourteen polymer clay artists share their insights about making a living in the medium of polymer clay.

Read marketing tips from Jana Roberts Benzon, Lindly Haunani, Diane Manzi (her mosaic is pictured at right), Valerie Wright, Judy Kuskin, Louise Fischer Cozzi, Consuelo Okdie, Peggy Houchin, Eileen Cressman-Reeder, Donna Kato, Luann Udell, Georgia Ferrell, Judy Summer and Loretta Lam.

Hip


Carrotbox first showed these polymer clay rings by Mary and Lou Ann which are sunnier than other recent works from this duo. That led me to StyleHive…and trouble. Don’t go there unless you’re a serious voyeur. It’s designer heaven.

I’m a bit daunted by the "communities" and "hive it" jive but I’ll go back and catch on when I need a shot of shopping. This one deserves some quality time. The Etsy folks were there way ahead of me. Being hip is so hard.

Gracing the Cover

The graceful polymer clay designs of Ohio’s Grace Stokes are featured on the cover of the September issue of Art Jewelry Magazine. "Less is more sophisticated," says the table of contents, "Spare lines and contemporary materials rejuvenate a traditional brooch motif."

Along with the article, Grace has unveiled her web site which is full of her works which mix polymer clay with precious metal, pearls, seed beads and other materials. Her delicate lines have a very up-to-date design feel.

Definitive Color

After ten years of teaching polymer clay color, Maggie Maggio and Lindly Haunani are writing the book. They’re looking for your previously unpublished images to illustrate their pages. See all the details on the NPCG site. The deadline is November 1.

Udell Unearthed

Primitives and meditative polymer clay art has surfaced as the theme this week so we’ll end the week with these faux ivory pieces from Luann Udell.

It was a roundabout trip to Luann. I read her comment on craft marketer Bruce Baker’s site about how his tapes had helped her. "Your tape enabled me to really think about why I make crafts and to convey that feeling to my customers. You have taken the angst out of selling and made it enjoyable," she said, and I wanted to see what Luann was up to.

Take a look (don’t miss her little movie) and have an enjoyable weekend.

Loads of Pix

I was all set to send you to some mouthwatering polymer clay photos (like this "Spondylosis" from Maryland’s Rachel Gourley) when I realized that they were from a Lark’s 400 Polymer Clay Designs volume. Someone had simply scanned the book and put the pictures on her own photo site. Very tacky, very copyright sticky. Let’s not go there.

So instead, I found a stash of photos from the book on Google Books site which looks to be a legit use. Not only can you look at lots of pictures from this book, but you can thumb through pages and pages of information from many polymer clay books and get a very good idea of what a book’s about before you invest.

Perhaps I’m the last one to figure out this Google Books thing, but I’ve been having such fun here that I just had to share.

Sue Ossenberg recommends Fetchbook for the serious book shopper.

PCAGOE

There’s a freshness and energy in the Polymer Clay Artist’s Guild of Etsy. They’re a "street team," a grass-roots group actively engaged in getting the word out about Etsy.com and the value of buying handmade goods directly from the maker.

Each member must have at least five polymer clay items listed in his/her Etsy shop at all times. Its membership is geographically and philosophically diverse.

Check out the current featured Etsy artist, Marcia Palmer from Georgia whose work displays a wide range of styles and techniques. She uses rubber stamps in unusual ways that reflect a strong sense of style and message. Keep your eye on these folks.