Loose and tight polymer

The painterly backgrounds on these flower canes from Maine’s Jayne Dwyer accentuate the realistic flower images.

The backgrounds are not just Skinner blends, they are chunky blends of companion colors that blend into brush strokes and set off the main images.

You may be wowed by Jane’s realistic scenes in polymer on her sales site here and on Facebook. If want to see what inspires her, visit her Pinterest boards.

Be sure to look at her latest teapot to see how Jayne gives salvaged items new life by applying her slices to them.

Polymer plaid

Katie Oskin's simple plaid for the holidays on PolymerClayDaily.com

Enjoy the festive simplicity of a plaid cane from Katie Oskin (KatersAcres). The design may remind you of the holiday tablecloth waiting to be pulled out for upcoming celebrations and meals.

Katie used the cane to create accessories for a batch of her Merry Moose figures. You can see more of her work on Facebook and her site.

What could you whip up with four or five colors and this easy over/under design? Enjoy your weekend!

Polymer soundwaves

Pennsylvania’s Beth Petricoin (CreateMyWorldDesigns) says that her lip is out of shape but she still enjoys playing her flute. For several years she’d been thinking decorating one of her instruments and an Etsy guild challenge was just what she needed to put her idea to the test.

She was too sentimental about her own instruments to use them so instead she found a deal on Ebay. A local music store disassembled the instrument and Beth was ready to roll.

The keys are topped with soundwave cane patterns and the body is covered with polymer finished to a high shine using Debbie Crothers’ liquid polymer method.

Yes, the flute is playable. Don’t you wonder if the big grin on Beth’s face hampers her playing? Read all about Beth’s adventure and ponder what you could cover with polymer.

Wearing the sunset

There’s great pleasure in finding a palette that resonates and mixing the colors in polymer.

Here France’s Laure Steele (Lor et Creations) built her palette from a photograph and then assembled components into a large kaleidoscope cane in Carol Simmons’ recent master class in La Crau, France.

See more stunning results from Laure’s Facebook and Carol’s page and site. And if you’re searching for color inspiration, don’t miss Carol’s Pinterest site.

Multi-talented

The UK’s Fiona Abel-Smith moves between painting, mosaic and caning with ease. The dancing fish necklace is a recent creation. The curves and colors splash around the wearer’s neck.

Fiona started her large Tiger cane last October and worries that the fall-to-spring hiatus may have stiffened the clay and cause problems with reduction.

One of the drawbacks of being multi-talented may be the distraction of ideas and projects but that hasn’t slowed Fiona down.

See the range of her works on her site, Facebook and Flickr.

Polymer from the pool

Claire Wallis’ water cane will make you want to dive into your studio this week. Her watery blue polymer canes could have been skimmed right off the surface of the pool. Collectors can wear the beach around their necks.

A group of us tried Claire’s striped cane tutorial that appeared in the November issue of ArtJewelry magazine. Wouldn’t you like to test this one? Maybe we can get Claire to write it up in time for summer.

Claire is perhaps most well known for her face and animal canes. Here she is on Flickr, Etsy, Facebook, Pinterest and on CraftArtEdu.

Break out Wednesday

Jon Stuart Anderson breaks out of the pack again with his amusing sardines pendant. Look closely and you’ll see the silvery dimensional canes that make his fish alluring.

Jon’s studio is littered with experiments and jokes like this, including some new ideas for guitar designs. He’s hard to keep up with but you can try on his Facebook pages and website.

Unveiling polymer

Take one television show, 5 pounds of clay, 50 patterned canes, 4800 slices, a 30″x 40″ canvas and what do you end up with? A lovely portrait of actress Sophie Turner from the Game of Thrones television series.

Well that’s what you end up with if you’re Julie Eakes. She brings plenty of intensity and expertise to her latest project…to say nothing of the hours and hours she spent assembling it. The subtle skin tones were a big challenge.

Not only is this Julie’s most ambitious mosaic piece, it’s also the one she’s most proud of. Follow the in-progress shots and explanations on her blog. Then fast-forward through the construction on YouTube.

Julie’s also been unveiling her work on Facebook. Thanks for letting us look over your shoulder, Julie.

Not black and white

This Nordic Knit polymer perfume case from Francoise Haon (Arliane) is black and white, of course.

What’s not clear is if the pattern is the result of mighty impressive canework or some other technique.

Patterns as precise as this make canemakers envious. Could she have extruded the tiny components? We’ll have to wait to see if Francoise gives us a clue. Take a look at the rest of Francoise’s Nordic line on her blog, her online shop and Facebook. What’s your guess?

Prototype polymer

These two pieces from Jon Stuart Anderson fall into my ones-that-got-away category. Arlene Groch pounced on the 3-legged cup when Jon showed it to us during a demo in Bali. Then she posted a picture of her acquisition on Facebook as an eye-catching reminder for Clayathon. (Arlene was just showing off her purchase, Jon’s not going to be in Atlantic City.)

This Buddha carved from a solid cane block is another one I missed when we were touring Jon’s studio looking at his experiments and one-offs.

Jon’s recovering from a bout of typhoid (the downside of the tropics) and PCDers will surely want to wish him well as we gaze at the astonishing work on his site and Facebook pages here and here.

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