Polymer Clay Daily

Long ago and before hearts

Dayle Doroshow or Ron Lehocky? The answer may surprise you on PolymerClayDaily.com https://wp.me/pegT3-7pB

When Ron Lehocky asked me several years ago who made this dotted square pin that I was wearing, I replied confidently, “Dayle Doroshow.” He corrected me. “I made that,” he said. This is a Ron Lehocky collector’s item!

Long ago and far away when Ron first started dipping into polymer, he made pins that weren’t heart-shaped and weren’t made from others’ scraps. That was 51,000 hearts ago! Hard to believe he’s raised that much for The Kids’ Center for Pediatric Therapies!

Ron pointed me to his 2015 tutorial on PCD that shows how to turn a heart into a Christmas tree. That was from when he had made a mere 30,000 hearts.

Oh, and Dayle Doroshow? She’s lived and taught in France (and Florida) for the past twenty years. And now she’s written a book about her art and life there. Time flies!

 

The history channel

Susan Hyde's polymer madonnas are favorites on PolymerClayDaily.com

In my quest to bring more fun into what I do, I decided to refashion PCD into the “History Channel” for a while. The history of polymer, that is.

As I pinned Susan Hyde’s angel on my down vest this morning, I thought about the works and the artists who have caught my eye since 2005. I’ll be thumbing through my collection for pieces that moved me to shell out money and made me feel so good that I wear them over and over. This clever ploy requires less time online and reacquaints me with my collection.

Susan’s angels always call to me during the holidays. Her madonnas were dark-skinned before that was a statement. She and I met at a weeklong Kathy Amt class on Whidbey Island in 1997 and she’s high up on my list of favorite artists. Her polychromatic color sense and affinity for textiles, inclusions, and faces, get me every time.  Click on the Instagram link to look more closely at her construction. If you put “Hyde” into the search box at the top of this page, you’ll see how she’s been my go-to girl for years. Here she is on Facebook.

Bugs are back

Gael Keyes mimics Mother Nature with her bugs on PolymerClayDaily.com

Spring in this hemisphere means that creepy, crawlies are gathering. New Mexico’s Gael Keyes has taken note with her own series of marvelous creatures that wander across lapels and collars.

Gael’s versions are made from her cane bits and scraps but there’s method to her madness. She cuts slices of leftovers into patterns that match, much like Mother Nature. Here’s more explanation on Facebook. 

Cats and Groundhog Day

Helen Cruickshank makes a delightful variety of cats in hearts on PolymerClayDaily.com

UK’s Helen Cruickshank shows her love of cats in this project for a Valentine’s Day fundraiser (Colchester Caring for Our Cats Fundraising). She created one design of a cat in a heart shape and repeated it using a variety of veneers and canes.

Her way of repeating designs is perfect for those of us who quickly tire of making the same thing again and again. February 1 is Groundhog Day you know (the movie popped into my head).

Ever the clever girl, Helen has just published her second book, Polymer Clay for All Seasons, which contains a menagerie of 13 delightfully varied projects.

Celebrating LGBTQ

Linda Webb celebrates June with a collection of mosaic rainbow hearts on PolymerClayDaily.com

Illinois’ Linda Webb (CreeksideStudio) reminds us that it’s Pride Month with this pile of rainbow hearts.

June 2021 marks the 51st anniversary — a time when millions of people come together in support of the LGBTQ community.

Linda uses her signature mosaic style to build all sorts of rainbows and you may appreciate her explanation of the significance of each colorway on her Etsy site.

Fashion and polymer attract crowds

Dayle Doroshow's panels and polymer take flight in Florida on PolymerClayDaily.com

Florida’s Dayle Doroshow was surprised at the success of her solo show at the end of 2020.

The show was held at the library, during a pandemic, after a year of disappointments and too much Netflix.

Dayle doubted herself, felt uninspired, and grieved the loss of a summer in France.

But by December over twenty fabric panels up to 5′ long filled the library atrium. A wearable polymer element was integrated into each design. The birds on her Take Flight were big sellers in the jewelry cases.

In a chatty 10-minute StudioMojo video this Saturday, Dayle shares her motivators and the self-care she had to employ to get her works finished and sold. Ready for a good story with a happy ending? Subscribe and join us.

The rhythm of polymer

Chris Baird makes polymer bits reverberate on PolymerClayDaily.com

Zero in on Chris Baird’s brooches featuring shapes, flowers, birds, and fish that are different from the usual. This Minneapolis artist works small and relies on gradations of dots and stripes.

Chris Baird makes polymer bits reverberate on PolymerClayDaily.com

Chris slices narrow bits of graduated or striped canes and places them next to each other on shaped bases. The light and dark bits reverberate against each other.

She keeps the tap-tap-tap going with indentations and repeated textures. The beat goes on. Here’s Chris on Etsy.

Polymer pile up

Fabi Perez Ajates piles up her jewelry on PolymerClayDaily.com

Spain’s Fabi Perez Ajates (Con Tus Manos) makes stacks of beads and bangles and brooches look like fascinating ceramic sculptures.

The holes and ridges and shapes in her imitative ceramic pieces all have dual purposes.

They can be worn or piled up in endlessly entertaining ways that form totems.

Fabi Perez Ajates piles up her jewelry on PolymerClayDaily.com

Fabi calls this her Coraline Jewelry since the pieces were inspired by oceanic reefs. 

Scroll down Fabi’s blog to see how she plays with her jewelry. (via Sue Ossenberg)

Polymer evolution/revolution from India

Radhika Sadhika sketches in polymer and wire on PolymerClayDaily.com

India’s Radhika Sadhika (radicalsbyradhikasadhika) illustrates the flow of line transforming into shapes that are aesthetically different in every piece.

She combines clay and wire in ways that make them look like sketches. Brass wires connect clay designs and turn them into minimalist wearable line drawings.

You’ll only find a cryptic bit about Radhika on Instagram. You have to DM her for sales information on her intriguing pieces. Her links lead you to a Google Photo gallery of her work. The path to her works mirrors the Evolution/Revolution theme of her work.

Read about her on Arts Thread.