Polymer Clay Daily

Polymer that wears well

Wearing Klara Borbas' minimalistic designs on PolymerClayDaily.com

After many years of creating functional ceramics, Pennsylvania’s Klara Borbas transferred her activity and aesthetics into the smaller scale of polymer jewelry.

She also has a background in architecture which influences her minimalistic designs and preference for lightweight patterns that work well on the body.

Klara is one of a growing number of polymer artists who sell through the Artful Home online gallery. Browse through Artful Home’s polymer collections for great examples of fashionable wearable designs.

 

Monster polymer

Leah Lester's monsters migrated from cakes to PolymerClayDaily.com

Washington’s Leah Lester started out as a cake decorator. In 2010 she decided to put the monsters she loves on the top of a cake.

Her friends went wild and asked her to make them out of something more durable.

Since then Leah’s created thousands of Little Lazies and sold them to her Etsy fans. Her most recent batch will be for sale on Big Cartel on Sept 28 with others on Facebook and Instagram.

Her time-lapse videos will kick off your week at high speed.

Brainiac polymer

Qixuan Lim's art keeps you guessing and learning on PolymerClayDaily.com

Polymer brainiac Qixuan Lim (QimmyShimmy) is not your average polymer artist. She calls herself an accidental sculptor. Her subject matter may make you squirm. Here she is on Instagram.

She’s an art school grad and designer-by-day from Singapore, currently based in the Netherlands.

I don’t understand but I can’t stay away. I pore over her works to figure out how the brain of this 25-year-old talent works. I happily add her to PCD’s mixed bag of artists.

We’ll be look at more oddities on StudioMojo tomorrow. Plus I’m moving studios so I’m knee-deep in organizing and learning how other artists pare down their supplies to make room for new ideas. Join us!

Buzzing polymer

Annie Laurie's colors buzz on PolymerClayDaily.com
Annie Laurie's colors buzz on PolymerClayDaily.com

These polymer dragonfly links from California’s Annie Laura buzz with intense colors that are true to the season and the insect.

The torn, rough edges make them seem spontaneously caught and fossilized.

Annie Laura makes her own imprint molds. There’s something compelling about art that captures what you love. You can see the finished piece on her Instagram.

What do you love? Does your art capture it?

 

Criminal polymer

Jen Parrish-Hill's relics on television's Criminal Minds on PolymerClayDaily.com

Jen Parrish-Hill (Parrish Relics) posted another entry to her Relics Get Around board on Pinterest. This time one of her Stained Glass Amulets made an appearance on season one/episode 5 of the television series Criminal Minds (find it on Netflix).

Jen’s friends and customers keep sharp eyes on television wardrobes for her distinctive amulets and relics.

“I enjoy creating designs that tell visual stories and start conversations, that are more than simple adornment. I like to think of them as charms and talismans that also bring a bit of magic and beauty to a wardrobe.” Over the years Jen has created a number of pieces for the entertainment industry that she catalogs on her Pinterest board and shows on Instagram. Nice way to advertise, eh?

Sage polymer

Sage from Julia Tarasenkova on PolymerClayDaily.com

Julia Tarasenkova has studied and drawn yarrow, cornflower, wild onion and other vegetation in her Russian landscape. She reproduces them in polymer and turns them into jewelry as with this Sage necklace.

Julia shares a step-by-step of one of her wildflower necklaces and more on Facebook.

What beauties are blooming or drying in your landscape as the seasons change?

 

 

Back to bowls

Silvana Bates turns salvaged cane bits into charming soap dishes on PolymerClayDaily.com

You may have thought you’d seen enough polymer bowls. Ireland’s Silvana Bates’ soap dishes pulls us out of bowl overload.

For her jewelry designs, Silvana creates batches of canes in her favorite palettes that lean toward faded colors and homey patterns.

By joining the tail ends of canes and shaping random bits into bowls, she accentuates their charm in a way that hints of soft old quilts in cozy cottages. She made these to hold her daughter’s collection of soaps.

Browse through her photos on Facebook and don’t miss the video of her woodsy creations that will be part of November’s Into The Forest exhibit.

Can you salvage bits of your favorite pieces and create a signature bowl?

The appeal of build-your-own

Melanie West adds a new twist to her Bones necklace on PolymerClayDaily

Melanie West wore her new Bones necklace at Synergy4 in August. One night it was a long chain, the next she quickly reconfigured it as a choker and bracelet.

Melanie West transforms a necklace into a choker and bracelet on PolymerClayDaily.com

The genius of Melanie’s design is the way the links are connected with o-rings held in place by the bulbous ends of each snakey bead.

A more recent version of Melanie’s necklace shown at left includes curled sections, a play on vine-like necklaces by Maggie Maggio. In true Synergy spirit, Georg Dinkel joined in and suggested adding contrasting dots on the end of each link! And she’s not finished experimenting.

Has Melanie’s build-your-own bright idea started your wheels turning?

Join us over at StudioMojo where we mull over the new designs and keep the synergy going every Saturday morning. 

 

 

Endangered melonious

Endanged melonious by Katrin Lukashuk on PolymerClayDailycom

Who knew there were watermelon people? Ukraine’s Katrin Lukashuk knows them and has captured them in polymer!

She’s also produced mixed media gorgons, fireflies, stones and other creatures from her imagination which she shows on Instagram and sells on Etsy.

Watermelon people have been a hit on the Art Toy Gama Collective that features toys and urban arts.

Fans speculate that melonious people are endangered because they’re so delicious!

Hospitable polymer

Arieta Stavridou invites you in for tea on PolymerClayDaily.com

Arieta Stavridou’s polymer-covered teapot will perk you right up. The colors dance all over its round squat shape.

This Cyprus artist tops off the effect with a wash of dark paint to highlight the details. See this pot from all vantage points on Facebook and enjoy her whole stash of teapots on her BigFish page.

There’s something homey and hospitable about these joyful pieces.