Polymer Clay Daily

The freedom of polymer

Ohio women inmates' collaborative wall piece and Ohio classes

This 28″ x 34″ wood panel is decorated with 118 polymer triangles shaped over bead scoop forms and covered with scraps of patterns made by students in the polymer program at the Ohio Reformatory for Women (ORW). The piece was created for a Columbus gallery exhibit this fall.

Visiting polymer teachers have stressed the importance of balancing lights, darks and middle values for a successful piece. Still, it surprises me when this big range of colors and styles add up to one cohesive and happy image. I must also credit my husband who checks my math and mounted their works on a custom panel.

Even though they are imprisoned their art travels, communicates, and frees their spirits. The inmates send thanks to our polymer community for their support.

There are a few seats available for the September Ohio class! Maine’s Bonnie Bishoff will teach “Capturing Wire with Polymer.” Her approach to polymer is unusual and her class has received rave reviews. Sign up!

Tied up polymer

Kseniya (SolarBird) ties up the week with a series of earring knots on PolymerClayDaily

Belarus’ Kseniya (SolarBird) ties up the week with these pale tidy knots of extruded ribbons of clay. She makes them into both stud and drop earrings that you can see on her Instagram.

The twists look simple but you know that getting them just right requires dexterity and more than a few tries to get the hang of it. Lovely summer accents.

The folder of finds for StudioMojo is bulging with links tracking artists delivering works and setting up shows plus a tutorial or two. I’ll sort it all out for Saturday’s newsletter. We’d love to have you in on our weekend conversations!

Polymer that echoes

Jumin Bae makes us reexamine what we know on PolymerClayDaily.com

South Korea’s Junmin Bae makes our heads spin with her scrutiny of beauty and bizarreness in the movements of micro-objects. Her polymer shapes fluidly increase and decrease as if under a microscope.

We don’t know whether we should fondle these shapes or be repulsed by them. We sense echoes of insect eggs, tumors, and cells.

This puts our craft in an exciting predicament. Do we love it? Do we hate it?  Nevermind, her polymer work puts us directly in the midst of contemporary questions. Exciting works with a fresh approach!

 

Summer blooms

Karen Pasieka hangs nosegays of flowers everywhere on PolymerClayDaily

I pulled aside this tile of a field of flowers from Ontario’s Karen Pasieka (SubtleDetails). Later I discovered that she wasn’t finished and was soliciting advice about stems and leaves.

Karen Pasieka hangs nosegays of flowers everywhere on PolymerClayDaily

The dreamy colors on the cloud-like background were enough for me.

Her display of polymer flower necklaces “on” vases rather than “in” vases made a visual pun that I admired too. Go to her Instagram to see lots more summer blooms and display ideas.

Finding new friends

Two sisters tickle our fancy with their quirky colors and designs on PolymerClayDaily.com

I went out looking for new friends. Not that you’re all not just lovely but who couldn’t use a few more friends?

What I found was a mystery. Two sisters, one from Texas and one from Nebraska, teamed up 12 years ago to exercise some creative muscle under the Crone Art label. They make and market buttons and pendants and earrings and whatever suits their fancy in polymer.

The sisters keep their identities on the down-low but someone out there probably knows this duo.

What words would you use to describe their Instagram? Oddball? Seriously mischevious? Minimalists? Modern?

In this pendant, they stack their round buttons in oval cups to form a pendant on a thick cord. Wearable and whimsical.

 

Polymer street art

CityZenKane CZK's polymer works sprout on walls in the UK on PolymerClayDaily.com

Whenever I travel I train my eyes to scan for polymer. It sometimes appears in unlikely places.

In London, for instance, the elusive CityZenKane CZK on Instagram(not to be confused with the early business name of Ford & Forlano) mounts his guerrilla art on buildings and street corners.

Ten years ago CZK used polymer for the finished pieces but now he sculpts in polymer and then casts a silicone mold which he fills with resin. It’s educational (and somewhat trippy) to look at the videos of his work, his inspirations, and his installations.

This week I traveled to San Diego and my eyes spied several polymer artists in the studios at Spanish Village Art Center, a collection of galleries in Balboa Park adjacent to the city’s museums and its famous zoo. In StudioMojo I’ll share the photos and tips picked up from our West coast street artists. Join us for the rest of the story. 

Leather polymer

Del Roussel and others play with the new leather effect Fimo clay on PolymerClayDaily.com

France’s Del Roussel (EnRibambelle) has been experimenting with Fimo’s new Leather Effects clay on Instagram.

These 3-layer earrings make a lightweight feathery look for summer. I’m guessing the imitation leather is easy to cut and has some distinct characteristics that give it flexibility and texture.

Ginger Davis Allman (BlueBottleTree) reviewed it and Klio Tsaliki shows how she’s sewed it on Flickr. The EU artists and a few early adopters are whetting our appetites for this new variation of clay.

Polymer on demand

See how Christine Damm makes a successful design last and last on PolymerClayDaily.com

Vermont’s Christine Damm worked and re-worked strips of bright summery veneer with layers of paint and crackle and whatever media suited her fancy.

She liked the resulting sheet of designs so much that before she adhered the polymer to this brass cuff, she scanned the image into her computer so that she could print the successful design onto scarves, pillows or any number of other items.

Go to ShopVida.com to see how one veneer translates into many items on demand.

Service worthy of particular recognition

Wendy Moore receives a medal from the Queen on PolymerClayDaily.com

Australia’s Wendy Moore was honored with a Medal of the Order of Australia on the Queen’s birthday yesterday!

Wendy was a moving force behind the 2006 launch of the Samunnat project for abused women in Nepal. She was skeptical about the logistics of the project, but a vendor requested that she teach what she was wearing so she jumped in.

Read the news reports and listen to Wendy explain here. Here’s a .pdf of the brochure that chronicles Samunnat’s growth and achievements.

The saga of Samunnat’s success has come from many sources and they all lead back to Wendy whose involvement has been key. She richly deserves this honor.