Frozen polymer moments

Guess what medium was used in the piece that won the top award at the Schmuck (German for jewelry) exhibit during the world’s top international contemporary jewelry event. You are looking at Jelizaveta (Liza) Suska’s Frozen Moment brooch made of polymer and crushed marble powder.

It’s the winner of the top prize at the Munich exhibit and was chosen among 700 applicants. The field was whittled down to 66 designers from 21 countries and took place during Munich’s Jewelry Week. The judges were intrigued at how the brooch resembles an unpolished gemstone. Translucent polymer has captivated us for years. With Liza’s vision and skill, it’s gaining wider recognition.

Liza, 26, is a Latvian who lives in Sweden. Read about her in the New York Times, her site, on Facebook and on Pinterest.

I hope Liza doesn’t mind our basking in the glow of her prize. The polymer community will happily latch onto the coattails of this talented young jeweler. The prize was brought to our attention by Kathleen Dustin who agrees that it marks a big step forward.

Another step forward

PolymerArt’s Sage Bray announces the April 14 publication of Polymer Journeys 2016 with 30% off the cover price until March 30. The book (in paper and digital formats) covers recent works of hundreds of artists.

Sage included my input about how the community has progressed and where we’re headed. Whether you’ve been a polymer artist for 10 days or 10 years, you’ll find something useful and inspirational in this book to keep you moving forward.

Sister site

Let me send you off to PCDaily’s new sister site, Polymer Clay Global. It’s the companion site for the brand new book, Polymer Clay Global Perspectives, and was created to help you find out more about the artists in the book.

Enjoy a look at the 13 featured artists. Try the free tutorial from Kim Korringa and explore the links to over 100 artists featured throughout the book which arrives in bookstores in July.

We’ll be adding to Polymer Clay Global regularly. The new site will provide enhanced resources beyond what’s offered in print. Pre-ordering online will get the book to you hot off the presses. Don’t forget to meander back to PCDaily!

Fixed the link!

Sample polymer

Fresh spring colors pull your eye to the brooches and rings from Madrid’s Fabiola Perez Ajates. These new samples from her May class hum with patterns and layers of interest.

The pièce de résistance is the companion container that hides your jewels. Fabi’s known for her clever containers. Thumb through her Flickr pictures to get a sense of what she does. And note how well her students do!

Can’t get to Madrid? I’m pleased to have a chapter and a project from the fabulous Fabi in my upcoming book that’s available for pre-order on Amazon/Barnes & Noble/Indiebound. It’ll be here by July 30!

Breil curves and cuts polymer

Sinuous shapes in polymer are lovely but for those of us who weren’t paying attention in geometry class, these smooth curves look impossible. How in the world would you make those cuts?

Luckily Helen Breil’s new e-book comes to the rescue. It’s 180 pages of step-by-step instructions and clear explanations of cuts and twists you probably haven’t even considered.

The book’s gallery is full of real-life examples from artists you’ll recognize (you may have run into them here on PCDaily). This beautiful spiral version is from Ron Lehocky.

Don’t take my word for it, download the free 25-page sample. Why fight your way back through geometry class when you can simply follow what Helen has so brilliantly figured out? Here’s the free link. Buy the $20 book here.

Holiday cruising

The “mocha” gallery on Maine artist Suzanne Anderson’s YIKES! gallery drew me in as I lazily cruised the web today. You may be tempted by any one of Suzanne’s color pages. These bangles look like a good way to use up bits of pattern and color as you clean out your studio for the new year.

Fretting about what lies ahead? Tory Hughes offers some words of inspiration for 2012 on her site.

Christine Damm is busy using up the orphans and odd bits in her studio. I’m partial to these Carpathia earrings and wonder if there could be anything that magical among my scraps.

If you’re ready for a master class to catapult you into the new year, look no further than the new online book and master class offered by Dan Cormier and Tracy Holmes. The layout of the book is inspired, the lessons detailed and engaging, and the concept is spot-on.

Die-forming is an important trend for polymer art in 2012. Dan and Tracy are offering a package deal on the book and must-have tools for the rest of this week!

Collaborative catalog

Pine needle and polymer basket by Victoria James

This polymer clay and pine needle basket by Victoria James is a lovely example of the mixed media pieces that will be on view in the exhibit at Synergy2. “Creating baskets pulls together my love for textiles, construction, and three-dimensional forms,” she says.

Following the exhibit theme, the artists sewed, sculpted, wove, and collaged polymer in unusual ways and combined it with unexpected materials. Preview and order the 80-page exhibit catalog online now.

Conference goers who order this week can save the shipping by preordering here and picking up their copies in Baltimore. I assembled the catalog for the IPCA (love that Blurb.com software) and I’m sure you’ll find it a great resource and a treasured memento.

Welker’s new book

The eye candy in Bettina Welker’s new book is so engrossing that you’ll hardly notice that the text is in German. Fine jewelry including bracelets & accessories from Polymer Clay is Bettina’s first published work and she’s put her heart in it.

If you’re not familiar with her refined and appealing work, check out her Flickr pages for a sampling.

Translations

Kathi Gose is translating the project part of the book into English. A small printed leaflet of the translations will be included with the book. The Spanish version of the projects is ready and a French version is underway as well.

New book and Saturday school

Polymer Clay Color Inspirations, the new book by Lindly Haunani and Maggie Maggio, has hit the bookstores just in time for the back-to-school season. This is the text you’ll need to advance in your polymer education. You can explore your color instincts and develop your own palettes through a series of projects.

Starting next Saturday, September 5, Maggie will be posting “Weekend Extras” on her blog to encourage you to go through each of the exercises in the book. You can send in your questions and comments as you work along.

Lindly and Maggie have long been friends of mine and I wrote the book’s forward (which is scintillating). I may be a bit biased but everyone agrees that they’re the best.

This week has taught me many things and made me appreciate what those of you with slow and unreliable connections have to endure. Thanks for your patience and your help. Have a spectacular weekend.

Farris and Haab – Cuties

This bug from Janet Farris is just too cute. If you look closely there’s a steampunk surprise that takes this design over the top. There are more in her new Etsy shop.

Janet’s added new jewelry to her Flickr site too. Her woven pieces are thick with beads. Janet’s a master at finger weaving.

More Cute

Fifteen years ago, Lisa Clark (and lots of others) were introduced to polymer clay with a few bars of clay and the Klutz Press children’s book by Sherri Haab.

Sherri’s written a new book, Clay So Cute, full of trendy bangles, simple charms, easy rings, and clever ponytail holders. These projects are certain to lure another generation of young artists to the medium. She tells a bit more of the backstory on her blog.

Bogosian’s polymer puzzles

New Jersey’s Helena Bogosian is a polymer clay illustrator with two new books coming out next week. If you’re a puzzle person of any age, you’ll love solving her matching problems, finding hidden pictures, and working your way through her mazes. Extruded clay strings maked great tangled webs.

These two books, Clay Quests: Hidden Picture Puzzles and Clay Quests: Maze Magic, are the first in a series published by Sterling Publishing. You can view samples at her site .

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