It’s Memorial Day in the US. These red, white, and blue polymer flipflop earrings from Texas’ Paula Kennedy are the perfect accessory for the local parade.
Paula usually creates much more intense and complex projects (like this silver and polymer micromosaic feather necklace) but on a day like today, it’s hard to resist cute.
You decide how serious or silly, how simple or complex you want your work to be.
This earring design from Virginia’s Angie Wiggins is inspired!
She loops a strip of polymer that’s decorated on both sides, anchoring the spiral with seed beads in companion colors.
The ear wires will be added but you get the gist. They’re arty additions almost ready for a weekend of fun.
Did someone say “Weekend of fun?” Studio Mojo will bring you pictures from a great retreat and links to new tools, clothes, and makeup. Events aren’t just for learning about polymer, you know. Come party with us!
The translation from the Instagram of Moscow’s Natalya Pakhomova makes little sense but her beads may speak your language.
We know they’re made from Cernit metallics using what they’re calling a snakeskin texture plate to achieve this loose mokume gane pattern.
With just the right coaxing, Cernit metallics can create a soft luster that says yes (that’s “da” in Russian). Here they are as earrings.
New Hampshire’s Kathleen Dustin reinterprets her grandchildren’s artwork as polymer brooches in her newest series.
The artwork combines the kids’ loose and colorful style with Grandma’s distinctive wirework and polymer skills.
See the rest of her series on Instagram.
What could you turn into a polymer heirloom in your family?
North Carolina’s Julie Eakes brought sand and pantyhose to the Virginia retreat to experiment with rounded polymer forms like this one that has a 4″ diameter.
It’s all polymer and built on a shape filled with sand that is removed after curing.
Julie continued her dark, curving theme on gently rounded squares for the bowl swap.
With several successful vases and one blowout (hot sand needs to cool slowly before handling), Julie was hooked on vessels. Watch for more on Instagram and Facebook.
In a last-day flurry of activity at the retreat in Virginia, I churned out a bunch of earrings.
I rarely work quickly to produce a bunch. As I looked around the workroom, it appeared that everyone was enjoying a last-minute burst of creativity. I’m calling these my Me and Matisse earrings.
The drive to “get her done” is often one of the best motivators and a good reason to join your own gathering of artists.
Florida’s Christine Kaczmarek dazzled us in the bowl swap with her sparkling 4 1/2″ round shallow swirl bowls. Those of us who don’t keep up with the latest nail treatments couldn’t figure out how she’d achieved such sheen and sparkle. See more on Christine’s Instagram.
Lumiere Lusters and Born Pretty powders are her favorites. Many other metallic oxide powders used in the nail trade are available online. These powders almost jump onto wet nail polish and they are equally attracted to polymer clay. Glass artists use them too.
The fine powders are tricky to work with. Sneezing, heavy breathing, and ceiling fans will make them take flight. But once you get the hang of it, they’re immense fun.
Christine gave us a demo of both the powders and how to construct this swirl pattern. I’m staying up late to edit it into a video for StudioMojo. If you want to know the rest of this shiny story, join us for the weekly update every Saturday morning.
Maryland’s Linda Pearl expands her exploration of photo transfers with these jointed figures using stock images. She simply smooths laser prints onto polymer and lets them sit for a while while the toner transfers.
Linda was challenged to incorporate filigree from Jackie Swartz and experimented with wired joints. (See how she connected them
here.)
Challenges and experiments are often launching points that produce charming, quirky first efforts. Linda says she’ll add jointed knees and elbows next time.
Her prototypes may make you reconsider new interpretations of your family photos. See more of Linda on Instagram and her site.
What started out as a small bowl by Baltimore’s Linda Loew became a layered, moody pendant.
A photo transfer of a man stares off into the distance from the second layer topped by a multicolored oval frame on top.
Turns out that this bowl wanted to be a pendant.
Just because you’ve made a bowl doesn’t mean it can’t morph into something else. See more on Instagram.
It’s going to be a week of bowls and other beauties from here in Virginia. These free form black and whites are from New Hampshire’s Ann Dillon.
I was entranced by how they sparkled under the lights and then realized that the twinkles don’t translate very well in photos. You’ll have to imagine the silvery magic that Ann created by using glitter clay in her canes.
The bowls are swap items and there are many to choose from. This is day one of the conference so there’s no telling what else may emerge.
