Orderly excitement online

Nina Zabal and Genevieve Williamson show us their orderly art on PolymerClayDaily

Today we’ll go big with two polymer artists in the Richmond, VA Visual Arts Center online show.

Cinthya Cuba de Zabal’s (NinaZabal) right-angle arrangement of her earrings (technically it’s called Knolling) makes them both cheery and calming in this orderly presentation. Creating a weekly collection is an integral part of her overall process. Her colors are hot with subtle texturing on geometric shapes with itty bitty dangles.

Nina Zabal and Genevieve Williamson show us their orderly art on PolymerClayDaily

Pennsylvania’s Genevieve Williamson, also in the Richmond show, shares a similar preference for light textures and geometrics using an entirely different palette that takes its cues from nature and stone.

There’s energy in both but no chaos here. Isn’t that refreshing?

That’s what we’ll be looking at in StudioMojo this week. Who’s making what and why? Orderliness with an edge appearing online. Hmmm, what’s that about? Join us as we investigate.

You’re getting warmer…

Enkhe Tserenbadam drills each of these holes in a hollow bead on PolymerClayDaily.com

This piece from Switzerland’s Enkhe Tserenbadam (@enkhethemaker) made me gasp. I try to keep track of my body when I’m looking at art. A gasp tells me that I’m close to paydirt. It’s like that “hot and cold” game we played as kids. This was warmer, warmer, HOT.

Enkhe drills each of the holes in her hollow pieces. It’s luscious to browse her site and consider how she works.

Speaking of warmer, warmer, I spent the week in an online gathering where gasps and astonishment surprised us again and again. Somehow our troubling times have moved some of us to “hot, hot, hot.” Come on over to StudioMojo to see some of the cool tools and sizzling art that we shared. Who knew a Zoom conference could be this much fun?

Scrap zeitgeist

Ron Lehocky uses Laurie Prophater's scrap to make sense of our world on PolymerClayDaily.com

What is it about these scrap collaborations that seem so au courant? Ron Lehocky uses Laurie Prophater’s scrap veneers to make controlled, comprehensible patterns. Ron makes order out of what looks like colorful chaos.

That’s what we’re hungry for.  Wouldn’t we all like to know how to make beauty and sense of what swirls around us?

Ron Lehocky uses Laurie Prophater's scrap to make sense of our world on PolymerClayDaily.com

Enough with the philosophy. How does Ron tap into fashion and zeitgeist at the same time? It has to do with his special brand of Ronnie Gane and the long threaded rod you see in this photo.

I’m hoping that he’ll jump in here to explain the mystery. Here’s the back story.

Ron is mighty close to reaching his goal of 50,000 hearts sold to benefit the Kids’ Project in Kentucky.

Layered leaves

Sabine Speisser's scrap brings her history to this leaf brooch on PolymerClayDaily.com

Australia’s Sabine Spiesser mixes hot color combinations that make visual vibrations on this 3-layer leaf brooch.

Posting in response to one of those 10-day challenges on Facebook, Sabine didn’t add any explanation. The requirement is only that the art is somehow significant to the artist. Viewers can draw their own conclusions.

The mosaic appearance comes from layered scrap. When you use scrap, you bring to a project the color selections and design decisions from your past. Your way of working, your history is embedded and gives the new piece an extra richness.

The three offset layers ripple pleasantly against each other.

Polymer comes alive

Nancy Blindeman sees her dancing in the sand on PolymerClayDaily.com

Belgium’s Nancy Blindeman (Art BeYou) has started making faces in polymer lately.

The illustrations of Patrick Nagel and the music of Duran Duran inspired Nancy to work in a new way and it suits her well. She builds up extruded strings of clay into a portrait.

She says of this character, “Her name is Rio and she dances on the sand.” When an artist can see and hear and her characters, we can sense that aliveness in the work.

The right touch

Ann Dillon's textures from surprising sources on PolymerClayDaily.com

New Hampshire’s Ann Dillon creates textures and shimmer that beg you to touch them.

Ann Dillon's textures from surprising sources on PolymerClayDaily.com

I asked her how she created the impossibly fine lines on one pair of lovely earrings and she replied, “Corn husks.”

She has an eye for natural textures and slight bends combined with a fall palette that gives her leaf shapes a “just fallen” look.

As you wander through her new website and Instagram, notice the textures.

Captivated by moths

Daria Telegina makes the most of moths on PolymerClayDaily.com

Russia’s Daria Telegina (Balambeshka on IG) is smitten with moths.

Her Facebook and Instagram are filled with these exotic creatures which she refers to as cute things.

Each one is more complex than the last with exquisite details on their polymer wings, cane-slice antennae, and minutely textured bodies.

Don’t you wonder how she became fixated on moths? What do you feel compelled to make and why?

Desert visions in progress

John and Corliss Rose are grateful for their quarantine creating on PolymerClayDaily.com

John and Corliss Rose are grateful to be creating in their quarantine corral, otherwise called their California studio.

This Mojave Bouquet was a product of an “In Progress” box of odds and sods that they’re giving new life.

John and Corliss Rose are grateful for their quarantine creating on PolymerClayDaily.com

The brooch is 3″ x 2.25″ with a fabricated sterling silver back and mechanism which you can see in these front and back photos.

Do you have odds and sods waiting to be turned into something remarkable? What better time than now to use what you have?

Move along

Galka Vasina's creatures gallop across your chest on PolymerClayDaily.com

Their legs gallop as Russia’s Galka Vasina’s creatures romp across your shirt.

Galka Vasina's creatures gallop across your chest on PolymerClayDaily.com

Nothing fancy here. Cutouts, textures, fun colors. Layers of polymer stacked up. It’s the movement that really rings our chimes.

How can something so simple be so satisfying? Why question it? It works!

Galka Vasina's creatures gallop across your chest on PolymerClayDaily.com

Layered translucents

Lynn Yuhr pushes liquid polymer in translucent directions on PolymerClayDaily.com
Lynn Yuhr pushes liquid polymer in translucent directions on PolymerClayDaily.com

Florida’s Lynn Yuhr (the FlyingSquirrelStudio) explores liquid polymers. “What if?” is her guiding principle.

In this case, Lynn dotted, painted and stamped liquid polymer over thin translucent. She wanted the metal grid behind the veneer to show through so she used a light touch and kept the patterns sparse with plenty of translucent showing.

The piece at right is the start of the veneer.

You may have seen this 2019 video before, it’s Lynn in her early liquid polymer exploration. She’s on day 63 of her 100-day 2020 excursion