Polymer Clay Daily

Lehocky’s polymer canvas

Lehocky on PCDaily

Ron Lehocky boosted his tally of polymer hearts past the 23,000 mark this week, creating popular designs from scrap canes destashed from other artists’ studios as well as his own creations. At $10 per heart, you can calculate how much Ron has raised for the Kids Center in Louisville Kentucky. Click on the picture for a closer look.

Ron talks about how the consistent size of the heart-sized canvas has allowed him to focus on technique and explore design within the limits of the brooches’ scale. After beveling 23,000 hearts, he can undercut an edge with remarkable speed and precision. His finishing techniques are superb.

Lehocky on PCDaily

Ron’s putting together a class on Ronnie Gane, a variation he’s developed that reveals spirals and geometric shapes. He plans to teach his method when his schedule allows.

In this StudioMojo video Ron talks about how the heart project began and why creating something tangible has been so important to him. See previous posts on his progress here.

Integrating findings

Washington’s Dede Leupold hammers leftover bits of silver into soft shapes that harmonize with her canes for an elegant effect and easy assembly. Baked into the clay the silver also provides a sturdy finding.

Leupold on PCDaily

Dede gravitates to canework and she has come up with a folding mirror to carry in your toolbox so that you can accurately predict how a pattern repeats. It’s a handy device to have when you’re building a cane that’s full of confusing color and geometry. Enjoy Dede’s spring colors on Facebook and in an Etsy shop for jewelry and one for buttons.

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!

Feathered polymer

Bonitz on PCDaily

At Creative Journeys Studios Kay Bonitz’ works jumped out at me. The pieces were stunning and the name was unfamiliar. Turns out that Kay is from Asheville, North Carolina and she’s known for her beading work. She hasn’t gotten around to adding her polymer pieces to her web site which is why we missed her.

Kay often adds beads and feathers to her polymer art. She haunts the outdoor stores and fishing supply places for embellishments like the fancy rooster feathers that bounce and wave when you move this textured brooch.

The back of each brooch is an unexpected treat and Kay often etches fortune cookie sayings and pithy remarks there. You can see some examples on the page I made of her polymer work.

Size matters

On the Synergy display tables here in Atlanta I was flabbergasted by how much larger pieces were than I had guessed from photos.

Take this new brooch from Kathleen Dustin. I would have guessed it as moderately sized but it’s quite large. Look at these pictures to get a better idea of size. Note the care she has taken with the back, the submerged hardware and the additional loops that allow it to be worn as a pendant.

On the front the shapes are thick and the designs flow from textured in one block to smooth in the next with a fascinating interplay that teases your brain. Its size makes the brooch more imposing and causes us to rethink how size matters.

As an aside, Kathleen mentioned that she does not condition the translucent clay that finishes the foremost block. Her theory is that putting the clay through the pasta machine repeatedly introduces more air into it and she wants the thin top layer to be as bubble-free as possible.

Synergy is off to a great start but it’s late. Please visit tomorrow for more news. I need a bit of sleep.

Buggy polymer…and a giveaway

Lehmann on PCDaily

The problem is not your monitor, there really are bugs in the system and they’re polymer from Jana Lehmann. You can watch these beetle brooches escaping from their cute little boxes.

Lehmann on PCDaily

Jana’s work is consistently the most graphic and the tidiest I’ve encountered. There’s considerable sanding involved and lots of attention to detail.

Her polymer-covered pens always appeal to me with their shapely Skinner-blended bodies and their whimsical tops. Just for fun, I’m offering five of the wooden pen bases that Jana uses as a giveaway today. I ordered a bunch from the German supplier (Bettina Welker delivered them) and they’re fun to try.

Make a comment and you’re automatically entered. I’ll announce a winner tomorrow.

Polymer and knits

Bonnie Bishoff on PCDaily

Bonnie Bishoff, long known for large polymer inlays in the wood furniture she and her husband JM Syron produce, has been adding more jewelry and a line of shawl pins to her repertoire. The shawl pins were originally requested by Bonnie’s mother-in-law, fiber artist Barbara Jones. They’ve grown into a new line being sold in knitting stores across the U.S., Canada and the UK. The polymer is set into bezels that Bonnie designed with sturdy, clever closures.

Enjoy a browse through other recent additions like these Circle Brooches which she treats like small canvases that alude to life on the northeast coast. She’s also expanded to Facebook here.

Hearts and horses – mixing media

Liz Hall on PCDaily

On Valentines Day hop on over to Liz Hall’s shop to see her whole series of hearts inlaid with irridescent polymer and surrounded by silver. Since most have sold, you may have to look at them on Flickr and Facebook.

She integrates ball chain into her designs embedding it in polymer and repeating the theme throughout the pieces. Liz works with what she loves which is why one of her new series incorporates horsehair into her jewelry designs. She tells that story on her farm site.

Add your name

We’ve taken Ron Lehocky’s money and he is very happy. He agreed to match your donations up to $2000. We sailed right past that number and we’ll keep going.

Add your name to the list of more than 75 artists and patrons who have sent their support. It’s a great way to feel the love on Valentines Day!

We love PCDaily readers! Happy day!

Lazercut polymer

Benzon on PCDaily

Fakir (Bed of Nails) and Finn from Jana Roberts Benzon may tax your Monday brain. Huh? How’d she do that?

Benzon on PCDaily

Jana’s been improvising on her lazercut technique and has taken her 3D textures to a whole new level. Keep your eyes peeled for her classes on this (I couldn’t find them and let me know when you do). Here she is on Facebook.

Namaste

The Orkney Springs 2012 group sent a heartfelt “Namaste” to the ladies of Samunnat. Last spring the Virginia retreat raised a generous donation which enabled the Nepali ladies to grow the project.

Before Samunnat, the women had to stay in abusive situations because their parents couldn’t afford to allow them to return to their homes and living alone wasn’t financially possible. Recently several women offered a “day-in-the-life” glimpse of their typical day (once they were removed from harm) which generally includes early rising for farming and cleaning chores before their work at the rented Samunnat office.

You raised over $1000 on Friday and Ron Lehocky is matching each dollar. That is fabulous! CLICK NOW to connect with other artists who are helping Samunnat take the next step and build their work facility. Your donation begins a small miracle that enriches lives.