Polymer Clay Daily

Pieced polymer 2

I was on Gera Scott Chandler’s wavelength last week as I prepared a big sheet of polymer for inlay into a walnut bowl turned by my husband. Gera imagines stained glass while I gravitate to quilts and textiles. We took two very different paths and both ended up with an efficient way to cover a lot of ground.

I prepared enough polymer to have inlay for two bowls from one sheet. My starting point is a patchwork of solid polymer colors at random angles. These backgrounds are loaded up with small cane slices, faux stitching, and pieces of hex glitter.

The strips of pattern cut from the sheet are layed into the bowl, textured and fired with a heat gun.

Cane slice bowls

Karin Noyes’ website shows only a one frustratingly small picture of her polymer bowls created from cane slices pressed together over a form. Working out of her studio in northwest Connecticut, Karin has sold these bright quilt-like creations at ACC shows since 2002 but her online exposure remained minimal.

What a treat to find a selection of her bowls on Etsy! Sized between 4″ and 6″ in diameter, her bowls are featured as part of the Harvest Gold Gallery’s Etsy offerings. This one features a back-to-school theme. She offers a wide range of colors, shapes, and patterns, mixing large and small caned images.

You can see how Karin’s knitting, quilting and rosemaling experience finds its way into polymer work. Her resume gives you a snapshot of her colorful past. Thanks to Elaine Robitalle whose CraftGossip post that led me to this new stash.

Cathedral-inspired polymer

When you consider that Julie Eakes created a 2,000-color-combination palette in Photoshop before embarking on her extruded polymer DaVinci portrait cane, you can appreciate why it took her a year and a 16-day cruise before she hit upon the right inspiration for the proper frame for her mosaic’s slices.

And what better inspiration than an Italian cathedral?

The new elaborate frames require more caning, repeated sanding and multiple bakings. By this point, we’ve given up calculating the hours. You do what you have to do.

The pieces come with a terrific story. Julie thinks that no one ever looks at her blog so be sure to leave a comment to show her that we care. Have an inspired weekend!

Signature earrings

These melon-colored glow earrings from Lindly Haunani are summer favorites. The beauty of the pinched petal design and black-outlined gradations made them Niche Award winners and help tell Lindly’s story.

Her Hawaiian heritage and color expertise shine through in the floral shapes. If you’d watched her assemble the slices, you’d also have caught a glimpse of how her training in mise en place preparation in the kitchen translates to polymer production.

All the parts are cooked, sorted and ready. You can see her hands following the recipe here.

I interviewed Lindly for the first edition of the StudioMojo newsletter, the new weekend edition of PCD that’s full of behind-the-scenes fun stuff. She tells a fascinating story and cautions you not to wait to become an artist. Sign up for Studio Mojo and check out her interview in the archives.

Decorating with polymer

Pictures of beautifully painted stairs have been featured on decorating blogs recently. These inspirations made me itch to continue the saga of my own small stairway. (Polymer mosaic tiles were a 1998 project and the wall installation was added in 2007.)

Mareike Scharmer’s fantastical interiors on Flickr (don’t miss the bathroom) and then Wendy Malinow’s ethereal dining room wall in Portland (here’s a snapshot of it), emboldened me to have another go at my humble hallway.

First, friend and muralist Bonie Bolen painted the risers and trim. Then we collaborated on embellishing the risers with paint, small round mirrors and baked polymer cane slices.

The only problem with the resulting sparkling “celestial stairs” is that they lead you to believe that there’s something special upstairs…something more than a bedroom and office. The project to polymerize my decor continues.

Connecting the dots

Could you commit to a cane as big as this Guinea Fowl? Switzerland’s Teia Fetescu and Mario Hubak give us a step-by-step glimpse at their work which includes yards of black and white dot canes.

An ambitious undertaking like this creates a flock that may hang around the studio for a long time!

Since Teia and Mario don’t show their cane reduction process, here’s a 15-pound face cane that Bob Paris and Nancy Bundy reduced in 2003. It’s still fun to watch.

If you look closely, you’ll see how Nancy dressed up the faces by adding a variety of hat, fabric and flower canes. You have to admire what it takes to think big! Have a big beautiful weekend.

Polymer lemonade!

Kentucky’s Ron Lehocky happily received a bin full of other artists’ scrap clay recently. He’s begun turning those discarded canes, experiments and leftovers – our “lemons” into “lemonade” for the KIDS project.

Take a look at what Ron can do with failures and leftovers! In some of the photographs he’s inserted the original cane to illustrate the transformation.

Ron first separated the donated clay into two piles -definitely scrap and scrap with potential for reworking. All will end up as part of the project, either on the surface or inside the heart pins. Transforming canes is an enjoyable challenge for Ron as he cranks out heart number 15,945!

At $10 each, it’s easy to calculate how much he’s raised for the childrens’ center. Ron wants to pass along a big thank you. Read previous posts about the project here and contact Ron here. He would love feedback from anyone who recognizes their scrap.

Making your own polymer history

Elise Winters sent PCDaily this FAQ about October’s exhibit and activities at the Racine Art Museum in Wisconsin. Elise clears up questions and tells the backstory behind this fall’s exciting debut of polymer work in museum collections.

A few recent PCD posts have skimmed polymer history. If you want a more in-depth look, you simply must visit the PolymerArtArchive site for a comprehensive look.

This Pier Voulkos early caned neckpiece from 1989 is part of the museum collection. Pier introduced polymer artists to the use of telephone wire in jewelry construction.

IPCA Retreat

A field trip to the RAM is an option during the July 13-16 international guild retreat at the Hilton Indian Lakes Resort in Bloomingdale, Illinois outside Chicago.

At this retreat clay enthusiasts at every level come together in a relaxed learning atmosphere. The retreat is held in conjunction with the Metal Clay World Conference. Check out the events on Facebook and on the registration page.

Royal couple, polymer style

Joan Israel’s vision of the royal couple may not match those in the news headlines but her 17″ polymer cane slice covered bottles have a very regal air. She’s been on a bottle jag that’s fun to study. My favorite is her scotch bottle.

We looked at Joan’s painting-by-the-slice creations earlier this year and she’s added tons of work to her Flickr site in the meanwhile. I can’t imagine the stash of canes required for this body of work!

Have your royals ready for Friday’s events!

.

.

.

.

Speechless polymer

Claire Wallis invites the wearers of her polymer brooch to fill in the empty bubble and make their own statement with her quote brooch. “Grab a pen and express yourself,” she says.

Her matching earrings whisper sweet nothings.

We last looked at this UK artist’s faux knitting. “My work generally leans towards simple colours and sculptural shapes and with the exception of striped, stacked canes I hadn’t tried anything more adventurous. This was my first attempt at a ‘proper’ cane,” says Claire.

What would you like to say to yourself this week?