Tres Reyes in polymer

Olga Ayala puts her culture in her art on PolymerClayDaily.com

These Tres Reyes, make up an exotic three kings ornament set from New York’s Olga Ayala.

Olga calls herself a Nuyorican (Puerto Rican New Yorker) who grew up in the heart of Spanish Harlem in New York City.

Influenced by the music and cultures around her, she infuses her polymer works with those same rhythms and colors. Here she is on Facebook.

Feliz Navidad!

This week on Saturday’s StudioMojo we’ll be figuring out how to leave a few breadcrumbs around the studio so that when the holiday hubbub settles down, you will enthusiastically follow them back to your art.

Hanging polymer

“I must have been an elf,” says Canada’s Ken Fedoruk, “It’s the only thing that explains my affinity and passion for developing Kenfolks, an assortment of handcrafted figures that I’ve been crafting since 1989.”

But not all Ken’s figures are your typical elves and Santas – as in this sparkly ornament called Christmas Elf – Sweetie Ice Cream Swirl.

Oh, you’re going to have a good time browsing through Ken’s huge collection of polymer Christmas characters on Instagram, Facebook and the Kenfolks site.

Makes you think about the family members you might want to hang on the tree.

This elf needs to get back to her studio.

Sahl’s winter wonderland polymer

When Sharon Sahl unveils her polymer clay gingerbread houses, I know the holiday season has begun. Sharon’s attention to detail is phenomenal and her knowledge of Christmas cookies and candies is comprehensive. Every butter cookie and ribbon candy is mouthwateringly accurate and the scenes are magical (so much so that I keep mine on display all year long).

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The houses are decorated with candy and cookies and icing, requiring multiple bakes before the bases are started. Finishing the bases with paths, fences, trees, gingerbread men, snowmen, candy gardens and perhaps a pond or stream is the last step,” she says.

Sharon’s only made ten of these beauties this year. Please buy them quickly so that I can stop obsessing. She’s been making ornaments and sculptures since the 1970s, first in bread dough and in polymer since 1983. Her long-time collectors are happy she’s moved back to Ohio.

Enjoy her winter wonderlands and have a wonderful weekend.

Polymer clay reasons to believe and recycle

This comfy, couch potato polymer clay Santa by Dennis Brown could make me a believer again. It comes from the “ReasonsToBelieve” site, a treasure trove of Santas.

Brown’s work has been licensed by several reproduction companies and these are the polymer originals. He makes Santas 365 days a year. Thanks to Susan Lomuto for the tip.

Kudos to Heather Powers (HumbleBeads) for her wins in the Bead Star competition from Interweave Press. She combines and collages beads and found items into evocative pieces.

Iris Mishly has jumped on the recycled band wagon too, using throwaways from her computer job as findings for her polymer clay work. Have a useful weekend.

Sahl’s polymer clay gingerbread houses

Nothing gets me more in the mood for the holidays than Sharon Sahl’s polymer clay gingerbread houses. She made only 10 for sale this year and there are just a couple left. Click on the large versions of her photos to see how detailed these beauties are.

“I buy and measure candies and cookies and gum and make them 1/4 sized with whatever clays best match their opacity. Trees are built from green star shapes, baked and then layered with white clay icing. For the cookies, I make an original with as much detail as I can fit onto a 1/2 inch disc, make a mold, and then pull every cookie from that mold. Gumdrops are coated with very fine glass beads and really look like gumdrops,” Sharon explains.

Her “Christmas Kids” ornaments are created with equal attention to detail. Sharon has moved back to Ohio and we’re happy she’s returned.

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