Polymer Clay Daily

Let your fingers do the talking

Ron Lehocky's takeaway from Lindly Haunani's class on PolymerClayDaily.com

Ron Lehocky made this bevy of bowls after Lindly’s recent class in Kentucky. It’s comforting to know that even after he’s made 50,000 hearts, he still needs to practice just like the rest of us. Amazing!

Do your fingers need to wrestle the clay before you can you’re certain that a concept has lodged itself securely in your noggin?

No matter how many pages of instructions I have, my fingers insist on fumbling through the twists and turns.

Ron’s an overachiever, as you can see. I’ll consider myself a star if I can come away from Lindly’s Columbus class in October with a fraction of that. We have a few seats left! Come play with us.

See what outrageousness and oddities we’ve scooped up for this Saturday’s StudioMojo. Keeping up with our art medium is always surprising and fun. 

Matchy matchy

A new necklace from Laurel Swetnam updates an old favorite on PolymerClayDaily.com

Oregon’s Laurel Swetnam was bummed that her schedule forces her to miss her friends’ Clayathon class about using what’s in your closet to come up with new palettes and patterns.

Laurel grabbed a much-loved top that gives her a sunny glow every time she puts it on and headed to her studio to try out the concept.

She scored! Her riff on the pattern includes dotted and striped tubes that enhance but don’t compete with the flowery batik pattern.

If you’d like some pointers about how you can mix and match accurately without going overboard, grab a seat in the online class with Shelley Atwood and Joan Tayler.

Give your old favorites new life.

StudioMojo lets you in on all sorts of behind-the-scenes happenings every Saturday. Sign up here!

 

 

Peekaboo Tuesday

Fabi Ajates mixes a new palette and patterns for ACE on PolymerClayDaily.com

Class samples are the best! Teachers take good photos and have great ideas.

These are Spain’s Fabiola Ajates’ prototypes for the October 6-10 Atlantic City Escape (ACE).

Look at how the underneath patterns peek through the cutout of the top layers. The thrill of peekaboo hangs on through adulthood.

Fabi has mixed an all-new retro 60’s palette for her class with 33 colors and patterns that make me giddy.

Barbara McGuire’s shimmering mokume

Barbara Mcguire's painterly approach to mokume gane on PolymerClayDaily.com

North Carolina’s Barbara McGuire will be teaching her own special brand of Mokume Gane this weekend at Tryon’s Arts and Crafts school. These class samples have me salivating.

Barbara’s Shimmering Mokume brings influences from Gustav Klimt with a touch of Paul Klee (to my eye at least).

Wouldn’t you love to know how she arrives at such painterly pieces?

Study her on Facebook. She offers some wonderfully deep rubber stamps in her Etsy shop.

Explosions of color

Lindsay Locatelli combines color and dimension on a volcanic cuff on PolymerClayDaily

Small volcanos threaten to spew color all over the place on Lindsay Locatelli’s latest cuff.

Painted spouts rise up and give the piece a weirdly satisfying dimension. Then just when you’re creeped out by the spitting spouts, you notice the sumptuous gold leaf on the interior. This cuff delights on all cylinders.

Lindsay’s toddler doesn’t seem to have slowed down her creative output. She’s teaching a 4-day class in Wisconsin next weekend. Don’t miss her spiky earrings on Instagram.

French flair from a dream vacation

See how the colors and styles of France emerge from classes there on PolymerClayDaily.com

These canes, veneers and finished pieces come from a student (not sure which one) in the small intensive classes with Meisha Barbee, Dayle Doroshow and Julie Eakes in Durfort, France.

What luscious colors and fashionable floral shapes with a very French feeling!

See how the colors and styles of France emerge from classes there on PolymerClayDaily.com

Thumb through Julie’s gorgeous photos on Facebook to see how a week with these three powerhouse polymer teachers. While classes were intensive study, there was obviously some serious frolicking around the countryside. What a dream vacation.

Virtual polymer

Fabi Perez Ajates makes you daydream about exotic classes on PolymerClayDaily.com

If you could take any class, what would it be? You can hop around the globe virtually and find some marvelous adventures in polymer.

Just for kicks, I scrutinize my dream classes and try to imagine how I’d make these beauties. My current favorite is Spain’s Fabi Perez Ajates who’s teaching at Polymer Clay Carnival Australia in August this year.

What a roster of polymer luminaries! It doesn’t cost anything to daydream and look! It could happen!

But then I’m already hosting a fab class with Bonnie Bishoff right here in the heart of very affordable Ohio! Your dream class could be closer than you think!

The freedom of polymer

Ohio women inmates' collaborative wall piece and Ohio classes

This 28″ x 34″ wood panel is decorated with 118 polymer triangles shaped over bead scoop forms and covered with scraps of patterns made by students in the polymer program at the Ohio Reformatory for Women (ORW). The piece was created for a Columbus gallery exhibit this fall.

Visiting polymer teachers have stressed the importance of balancing lights, darks and middle values for a successful piece. Still, it surprises me when this big range of colors and styles add up to one cohesive and happy image. I must also credit my husband who checks my math and mounted their works on a custom panel.

Even though they are imprisoned their art travels, communicates, and frees their spirits. The inmates send thanks to our polymer community for their support.

There are a few seats available for the September Ohio class! Maine’s Bonnie Bishoff will teach “Capturing Wire with Polymer.” Her approach to polymer is unusual and her class has received rave reviews. Sign up!